The Fortune Cookie Told Me To
by robotiancornattack
Summary: After the recent Ianthony Game Bang punishment, Lasercorn is left to analyze how he feels about Ian and whether Iancorn is just a joke or if maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of truth on his side. Does he risk their friendship by coming clean or keep it to himself and enjoy what he has? A bet with Joven might just decide this for him. Pairings: Iancorn & Marishire.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I don't claim to know, own or profit from using anyone associated with Smosh and SmoshGames. It's just for entertainment purposes only.**

_Author's Note:Ahahaha, so hello. I'm new and please spare me. I haven't quite decided where to go with this story - if I'll turn it into a multi-chaptered something or just leave as a stand alone. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to devote to writing these days so even if I do somehow get convinced to make it multiple chapters, I make no promises I'll finish it! But this Iancorn plot bunny just hopped right into my brain and I had to write it. So I hope you enjoy! :)_

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"So, hashtag buttplug me, Mari?" Sohinki leaned forward in his chair after the filming had ended for the latest episode of Game Bang.

"I swear to god if that's the one thing that comes out of this!" Mari groaned, rising to her feet.

"If that's the one thing that comes out of this, I'll be impressed. Especially with all the Ianthony we had going on," Lasercorn couldn't resist teasing them.

Ever since they discovered fanfics were a thing and especially after they discovered how hardcore some of those fans could get with their words, it became the new inside joke. _Careful what you do, you'll be the next ship _or _That's DEFINITELY going down in fanfic history _between the _I wonder if someone wrote about that yet. Quick! Go look it up! _to the _Hey, wouldn't it be funny if someone actually wrote this? I'm giving them the hint in this week's episode. _It was especially funny considering how much it seemed to get under Anthony's skin - or at least he seemed to make a bigger deal out of it than the rest of them. Maybe he wanted to protect his manhood or something stupid like that. Lasercorn wasn't really one to say anything, but if he did, it probably would have been giving Anthony a word of advice that freaking out the way he did probably had the opposite effect of proving he was straight.

Even as he thought about it now, Anthony was pitching a fit, "Excuse me while I-BLEGHHH." He turned to Lasercorn's lap and leaned over, pretending to hurl on him.

"I don't know," Ian peeled off his orange wig and used it to mop the sweat from his brow. "I think I did some pretty sweet Nickelback impressions. That might just be the highlight."

"They were pretty sweet. The lovely way you went demonback. The only thing missing was the 360 head spin," Lasercorn fondly agreed.

"Uh, no. If anything it's going to be the Jovenshire's sweet moves," Joven struck an endearingly dumb pose, hips jutting and thrusting at the air.

Sohinki watched their friend's open display of idiocy before deciding he had enough for one day, "Well, on that disturbing note - I'm gonna head out."

A chorus of 'byes' and 'see yas' rose up before Mari turned to Joven and thrust her finger at his face, "And by the way, I still call shenanigans. You and Ian twerked me out of my rightful spot."

"But isn't twerking on someone the thing you're supposed to do to that song? Haven't you learned anything from Miley?" Joven regarded her incredulously.

Mari gave him her best deadpan, "No. And I'd like to hope you haven't either."

"I don't know, Mari. Hashtag buttplug me? Sounds pretty Miley to me. I don't know why you would even say something like that." Anthony looked away as though he was silently judging her.

"You said it! You made it happen! Don't drag me down into your hole!"

"You heard her, Anthony. She doesn't want none of your gloryhole," Ian chimed in because Mari made it too easy.

She placed her palms on her forehead, but in spite of the superficial exasperation, she said in good humor, "I'm done. I'm just done. I'll see you guys next week." Mari gathered her things, turning to Joven. "You're helping out with Super Mari Funtime this week, right?"

"I'm game. Ha ha, get it? Game," Joven laughed at his own joke, turning to see if anyone else joined him. No one did. It still didn't seem to stop him from enjoying his own humor, though. "Text you guys later."

He and Mari headed out together, chatting the whole way and before their voices faded entirely into the distance, a very audible '_Oh god, Joven! Really?' _was heard and they could only guess what he had said. Lasercorn knew that behind all the jokes and awkward flirting, Joven really did have a thing for Mari. It came up one bored night when the power had gone out and the only way they could entertain themselves was dusting off the old Magic: the Gathering cards and playing by candlelight while chatting about videogames and life - hell, who was he kidding? Videogames pretty much _were _their lives.

But in their gaming filled lives, came their gaming filled jobs, and Joven, apparently needing to tell someone, had confided in Lasercorn about Mari - perhaps hoping for advice or some guidance. Instead he got laughed at, and then a 'oh, were you serious?' Lasercorn had to admit he felt a little guilty, but he also had to admit Mari might have been into Joven too - after all, she treated him the same way a girl on the playground would treat her crush and they were all pretty much at the same level as school children, so that had to count for something, right? Maybe Joven would get lucky.

Lasercorn? Nah. Probably not so much. He watched as Ian and Anthony bantered with the ease of two people who knew everything about one another. It wasn't that he was jealous, exactly. It would be stupid to be jealous over something that was out of his control. Ian and Anthony had been friends since high school and joined forces to create the YouTube empire known as Smosh. It would be impossible to think he even had a chance of coming close to that bond.

Did he think Ian and Anthony were more than friends? No. They both had girlfriends, for one thing - even though that alone wasn't enough to dispel the possibility - but there was something about them as Lasercorn had watched them dance their punishment. Something about them that held back, something about them that appeared really uncomfortable to be dancing a romantic duet together, something especially about Ian that hadn't seemed to exist when he and Lasercorn had lost and danced their infamous punishment together. Ian had appeared reluctant to get too close to Anthony. The punishment seemed more like a punishment amped up because they both had known a large amount of their views came from fanservice, but it lacked the humor. It hadn't even gotten one of Joven's walrus laughs! With him and Ian, it had been different, but Lasercorn brushed the thought away.

It was stupid to entertain the idea of it. He didn't even know why he was. Did he have a thing for Ian the way Joven did for Mari? He wasn't sure. Lasercorn definitely looked up to Ian and respected him. Who wouldn't? The guy was a comedic genius, never failing to cause a room full of people to laugh themselves to tears. He was the type of guy anyone would want to be around because of his quick humor and sharp wit. Lasercorn liked to think that out of himself, Jovenshire and Sohinki, he was the Ian of their little group, but he still felt sometimes he tried too hard to be funny - it wasn't nearly as organic. With Ian, it was just a natural part of his personality - part of the allure.

Anthony's cell phone rang, pulling Lasercorn from his ridiculous thoughts. After giving it a quick check, Anthony answered it with: "Hey, babe. ...Not much, just finishing things up here. I'll be home in like three, maybe four hours? Want me to pick up something when I get back to LA? Okay, see ya soon. Love you, bye." After finishing the brief call, he tucked his phone in his back pocket, turning to the both of them. "Well, I gotta catch my flight so Ian - see you Monday. Lasercorn - until next week."

Ian and Lasercorn exchanged glances and held them almost like a silent game of rock, paper, scissors. Ian lost and had to be the one to speak up, "Uh, Anthony?"

"Yeah?"

"You gonna wear that shirt home?"

"Not that there's anything wrong with it, I think it looks fabulous on you," Lasercorn chimed in to tease.

Anthony looked down, realizing he was still wearing the girly, punishment shirt. Instead of being embarrassed, he struck a pose, "What. You guys didn't think I could start the next new fashion trend?" He flipped his bangs with exaggerated femininity.

"The world needs more things to laugh at, so why not?" Ian shrugged.

Regardless, Anthony was peeling off the skin tight tank top and finding his original shirt - shrugging it over his shoulders before grabbing his hoodie, "My moobs weren't big enough to fill it out anyway. I'm pretty self-conscious about that."

"Ehhh. Moobs are overrated. Down with moobs," Lasercorn gave a thumbs down to emphasize his point.

"But..." Ian looked hurt, reaching down toward his chest and squeezing it together to create fake cleavage. "I thought I'd grow mine out. I thought it was the in-thing! How come no one told me this until now?"

"Because youuuuu aaaaaareeee theeee only exceeeeeeptiooooon~" Lasercorn crooned off key.

Ian batted his eyelashes, bringing his hand daintily to his heart and offering his best, girlish giggle, "Oh stop. You flatter me too much."

Anthony coughed a few times, "AhemahemGAYcoughhack."

"Don't be hatin'," Ian's arm slid around Lasercorn's shoulders.

"Yeah," Lasercorn folded his arms. "Sounds to me an awful lot like someone's jealous. And I totally get it. I'd be jealous too if I wasn't the Corn in Iancorn."

"That's like gloating about being the corn in a piece of shit," Anthony made a face.

Ian pursed his lips thoughtfully, "I don't know. I'd be pretty jealous of that still. Corn is like the Christmas decoration for poo, dresses it up."

"Yeah, when you put it like that you're right. I'm jealous. I only hope when I go home I can hide my envy from Kalel," Anthony smiled with a shake of his head before he raised his hand to give them each a 'guy hug' goodbye. "Anyway, guys. S'been good. See ya around."

"Bye, man," Lasercorn patted his back.

"Take care," Ian sent him off.

And just like he and Ian were alone. Lasercorn hadn't anticipated this turn of events, half expecting Ian and Anthony to leave together - but hey, all the better. Maybe they could hang out for a bit, "Hey - you wanna grab some food or something?"

"I'll never say no to food. Where you wanna go?"

"Actually I thought we could stay right here. There's gotta be a whole wide array of leftovers in the fridge, yeah?"

Ian wrinkled his nose, "Just how I always wanted to die, playing SmoshGames Refrigerator Roulette. Alright, fine. I'm feeling adventurous. Let's do this." They looked at each other and in sync struck douchebag poses and said: "YOLO."

Lasercorn led the way to the break room, pulling open the fridge, poking his head inside, and mimicking a commercial of their childhood, "Alright so we got some ice tea, soda, purple stuff, Sunny D."

"Uh...purple stuff. Hands down! Pour me a glass of that unidentifiable purple goodness."

Lasercorn laughed, "Closest thing we got is grape soda. Still want it?"

"Hit me," Ian grabbed a plastic cup, slamming it down on the counter.

He popped the top of the can and poured it into the cup, "Wait, no! We're doing this all wrong! Go sit down and let me romance you. There was a distinct lack of Iancorn in this Game Bang so goddamnit, we're making up for it!"

Ian let out a long, exasperated sigh, "Fiiiiiine." He trudged over to the door, pausing to sip his drink. "I'll be waiting in the meeting room for your romantic surprise. Don't keep me waiting long, sweetie." Ian joked with a wink and a blown kiss before prancing off. He had only just disappeared from view when Lasercorn heard: "Oh crap. It splashed up all over my shirt."

"That's why you don't prance with your soda. Didn't your mother ever teach you anything?" Lasercorn called out before shaking his head with a laugh.

The big question was - what was even edible in the fridge? There was some leftover pizza. It couldn't have been too old and probably held up better than the leftover Mexican in the back. Just to be sure, Lasercorn gave them both a sniff test and confirmed the pizza would definitely be the safer option. He searched other containers, finding some Chinese he knew for a fact wasn't bad yet because he had ordered it the last time he was there - and apart from that there were a couple of salads Anthony or Mari had left behind, but yuck. Salad. Who wanted to eat anything that was actually healthy?

So armed with a main course of cold pepperoni pizza, he heated up some fried rice and lo mein in the microwave for side dishes and opted for potato chips as the vegetable - after all, potatoes grew in the ground, right? So they totally counted and this became a well-balanced meal! He tried to arrange all of these things in an aesthetically pleasing way and gave up on the culinary challenge after a few attempts, aiming instead to make sure everything fit on the plates without falling off. Lasercorn paused, rummaging around the cupboards before he found what he was looking for - a small pack of birthday cake candles. He looked around for something to stick them into and settled on a block of styrofoam straight from the garbage that came from the packaging of one of the new keyboards they ordered last week. Puncturing it with each tiny candle (don't try this at home, kids), he appeared satisfied before juggling the two plates and makeshift candelabra in his hands to carry into the meeting room - the only room with enough table space that wasn't filled with electronics.

Ian looked up and then branched off into a laugh, "What the hell is that? What _is _that?"

"Shut up and be romanced," Lasercorn smirked, plopping the unlit candles between them.

"You mean shut up and enjoy the third degree burns? Shut up and enjoy the arson? Shut up and enjoy watching our HQ burn to the ground?"

"You can't stop the flames of love," Lasercorn drew out a lighter and touched the flame to each small candle. "But I'll go get the fire extinguisher in case we have to."

"Oh man, I am so romanced right now," Ian watched as his plate was set down. "Everyone is gonna be so PB and jelly when I tell them about this."

"Who wouldn't be?"

Lasercorn left the room briefly, getting two things - a can of coke and the promised fire extinguisher because who knew how flammable styrofoam really was? Afterward, he settled down across from Ian and knew despite their teasing and mock flirting, this meant nothing. It never would. But that didn't mean he couldn't indulge himself and enjoy the moment, right? It was what Joven did. It was what probably a good chunk of humanity did. How many people were lucky enough to have a crush that was reciprocated? How many people kept those feelings to themselves? And goddamnit, how many times did he have to tell himself this wasn't a crush! It was just a strong cocktail of admiration and enjoying the Iancorn joke - a strong enough cocktail to get him drunk on the emotions and blur his feelings into a mess of confusion.

"If chinese and pizza came together in one badass conglomeration of awesome, do you think any other fast food chain would survive?" Ian dipped his pizza into the fried rice, scooping some up and taking his first bite. He chewed it thoughtfully for a second before shaking his head in distaste and answering his own question. "Yeah. They would." He washed it down with his soda.

"Isn't that a commercial? 'Life's better with the and'? Or something?" Lasercorn folded his pizza slice in half and bit off a mouthful. "I think you just proved it wrong, though."

"It was an experiment done in the name of science. Happens all the time. Why else would they have fries on burgers now? Apart from us all being fat asses."

"Pretty sure you hit the nail on the head there. That's why a burrito's no good unless it passes the forearm test."

"It can only get better. Pretty soon they'll come in two sizes. Forearm and then full sleeve. Wait, should I patent that idea before someone cashes in on it?"

Lasercorn regarded Ian in amusement, "Definitely. And maybe you can even supersize it to horse dick sized - holy shit, did that wax just melt a hole straight through the styrofoam?"

Ian looked at their centerpiece and then nonchalantly took another bite of his food. "Yep. We're gonna die." He seemed unfazed.

"Quick. Making a wish," Lasercorn closed his eyes tightly and then huffed and puffed and blew out the flames all at once - well all except the trick candles that relit. "Goddamnit! The force is too strong!"

"Wait, wait. I'll try," Ian drew back, closed his eyes for a moment and then reached over to grab someone's forgotten water bottle, upending the contents onto the candles. With a sharp hiss, the flames extinguished and the pair lived to see another day.

"Phew," Lasercorn breathed a mock sigh of relief. "I thought we were goners."

"Almost were if it wasn't for my quick thinking."

"So what'd you wish for?"

Ian gaped, "I can't tell you! It won't come true!"

"That's only true for anyone else except me. I'm Lasercorn - part unicorn, part bionic death machine, and everyone knows unicorns shit wishes and rainbows so you're safe."

"Well I guess when you put it like that," Ian grabbed one of his chips, munching on it thoughtfully. "I wished we wouldn't die tonight and I assume we thwarted the worst threat unless that means it's gonna come back to get us all Final Destination style. So thanks, Lasercorn. Your unicorn poop served us well. Now use the bionic death machine part to ward of any impending death attempts."

"I'll try, I'll try," Lasercorn was all fake modesty.

It didn't take them all that long to finish dinner, and it continued on the same way it started - meaningless conversation tossed back and forth, all laughs and light-hearted jokes. Like all good things, though, it had to come to an end. Lasercorn wanted to suggest they hang out longer - play a few rounds of GTA or go do something, anything. But Ian was already dismissing himself before he got the chance.

"I think I better get going," Ian rose to his feet with a stretch, letting out a belch before he collected his garbage and tossed it in the trash. "Thanks for the romantic dinner, Lasercorn. Best date I've had in a while."

Lasercorn sat there, watching him. Was he really leaving already? He wanted to say something to keep him there longer, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Well nothing beats those Iancorn moments. Not even your punishment duet with Anthony tonight. Next time, I'm gonna have to lose on purpose."

"You'll have to keep out the raptor claws, then. I think as the games upgrade, the powers of the raptor claws grow and double your scores."

"Damn! We have all the powers working against us."

Ian laughed and it was a good sound - a sound that accompanied a smile that lit up his face. Lasercorn felt his disappointment grow. Did Ian really have to leave already? "Well. See ya, man." He waved and then headed out the door.

Lasercorn sat there alone for a moment, staring at his half-eaten pile of fried rice - its existence reflecting his thoughts on the situation: dry and unfinished. He pushed the plate aside, frowning to himself. His brown eyes flickered over the table, noticing the stash of unopened fortune cookies he, Sohinki, and Joven left there a couple nights ago. Lasercorn reached out, plucking one up at random before pulling it out of the plastic and breaking it in two. He popped one half in his mouth, reading the fortune.

_ Express yourself. Don't hold back!_

He stared at the message for a moment before it seemed to motivate something deep inside of him. If all went well, Lasercorn would have to thank Buddha or at least the local delivery guy later. For now, he sprang into action without thought, rushing out the door and hoping to catch Ian before it was too late.

"Wait, Ian!"

Lasercorn rushed back into the main room in time to see Ian tossing on his sweat jacket and zipping it up. He looked up at the urgent call, raising his brows in question. Now that Lasercorn had Ian's attention, he realized the fortune cookie hadn't exactly guided him on how to express himself or what he should even say. It was just one of those moments where it was now or never. He walked forward, closing the distance between them. Maybe words weren't necessary at all.

Lasercorn drew in one last breath for courage before he hooked his hand around Ian's jacket, drawing him in. Ian stumbled against him, and Lasercorn took advantage by lifting his head to catch his lips in a clumsy kiss. He felt Ian tense beneath him and realized right then and there that his impulsiveness might have ruined everything, but he still hung on - still clung to the hope that this was the right thing to do. There was a moment, though brief, when Ian returned the kiss - a light but slightly confused pressing back against Lasercorn's mouth. It could have been an accident or maybe an instinctive response, but the hope that died at Ian's initial reaction became renewed by those couple of seconds.

Not wanting to linger there too long because it was probably already uncomfortable enough, Lasercorn pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. "I, ah, the fortune cookie told me to."

Ian said nothing, stunned.

It only prompted Lasercorn to continue nervously, "And an Iancorn date wouldn't be complete without the kiss at the end, right? It's, um..." he looked down at his sneakers, mumbling. "It's what the fortune cookie said."

"Right..." Ian said slowly, uncertainly. He barely even made eyecontact as he backed for the door. "Well, I'll see ya."

He was gone before Lasercorn could respond, so he leaned against the doorway, muttering to himself, "Yeah. See ya." His eyes drifted toward the tiny slip of a message in his hands. "Stupid fortune cookie." His head lolled back against the wall and he banged it lightly a few times. "Stupid Lasercorn."

He didn't even know what he had been hoping for. For Ian to reciprocate his sudden, unexpected and unspoken declaration of feelings? For Ian to just be cool with things and continue to make out right there? To know how he hoped Ian would have reacted, Lasercorn needed to understand how he even felt and that seemed to be far beyond his comprehension.

In spite of the outcome, he didn't regret kissing Ian, but it did raise a whole new level of questions. What would come of things between them now? Would Iancorn be the new, uncomfortable topic only acknowledged for the fans' sake just like Ianthony? Would Ian be disgusted by him and try to avoid him except when for when they were forced to interact by power of the game? Would he become the topic Ian made fun of with Anthony behind his back because it was so pathetic the same way Lasercorn poked fun at Joven's crush on Mari with Sohinki? But damnit, he knew he didn't imagine Ian kissing him back, no matter how brief, so what did _that _mean?

He turned back toward the room, looking around to make sure everything was in place before he collected his jacket and tossed it on. One thing was certain...just like Joven and Mari, only time would tell. At least he knew Ian wouldn't be able to avoid him forever - not when they had a web show to film. Lasercorn offered a wan smile to himself. The only thing you regretted in life were the things you didn't do - a fortune cookie had told him that once too. So with that in mind, Lasercorn shut off the lights behind him and sealed the memories away in the room where they would stay locked until the next time he or Ian were ready to face them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Sooo I decided to make this multi-chaptered. :) Probably shouldn't have proofread it after taking sleeping pills, buut hopefully the mistakes are kept to a minimum! Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! _

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Sohinki glanced toward the camera briefly before his attention went back to the computer screen, "Hi, guys. So for this Grand Theft Smosh, we're gonna be playing some good old fashioned cops and robbers. Lasercorn and I are going to be the robbers, while Joven will be trying to not get killed by the cops and steal a cop car to pursue us. How's that working out for you, Joven?"

"Got one! I think - wait, no. Damnit!" Joven scowled at his screen.

"Stop sucking and get the car. Lasercorn and I are waiting."

"Maybe we should just go ahead. It'll give us a head start and maybe make Joven suck a lot less," Lasercorn suggested.

"Nothing could make Joven suck less."

"Got it!" Joven piped up, completely unbothered that his friends were hyping up his level of 'suck.' He was pretty used to it by now.

"You have procured a cop car?" Sohinki asked.

"I have procured a cop car," Joven confirmed.

"Alright, let's find our first spot," Sohinki muttered and Lasercorn gave him a sound of affirmation.

And so they did their thing, Lasercorn and Sohinki heading to stores while Joven was in pursuit. Unfortunately for Sohinki, Lasercorn's head really wasn't in the game and he would either mess up or lead them to cops or get them killed which really agitated his sore losing partner. He tried to be present, humorous about what happened, and hoped editing would do the video justice - after all, it wouldn't be good to appear so distracted to the viewers. But Lasercorn really was distracted. He thought he would be able to put the kiss with Ian behind him and move on with his life, that maybe all he needed to do was get it out of his system in order to get past it. Didn't work like that, though.

The past few days, Ian was all he thought about, all he obsessed over, and he went from kicking himself for being so stupid to analyzing how it felt to share that too brief kiss. Ian hadn't talked to him since then, but Lasercorn hadn't expected him to, really. He hadn't even tried to initiate contact, figuring it was best to give Ian his space. But Lasercorn did find himself anxious for the next time they would see each other. He was even a little disappointed when he found out today Anthony and Ian weren't going to be joining them on Grand Theft Smosh.

The worst part was not knowing how Ian felt or how he would react the next time they were together. Lasercorn dwelled over their faux date and what a good time it had been. To think that that may have been the last time they would indulge in each others good company - no. Lasercorn couldn't think like that. It wasn't going to be like that. They may have been immature in ninety percent of, well, everything, but Lasercorn liked to believe they were both mature when it came to relationships and they would be able to work things out one way or another, even if it took a little time.

He understood how Joven felt now - having a thing for someone and being unable to express it; knowing whatever he did it might blow up in his face and having to be careful because they still had to work together in spite of it all. Lasercorn almost felt bad for all the times he laughed at him for it - whether it was to his face or behind his back. He didn't anticipate being in the same, miserable, lonely boat as Joven and being able to empathize with him made Lasercorn feel even more pathetic.

"Lasercorn, what're you doing?" Sohinki complained, no, more like accused.

The words brought Lasercorn back to reality, well, fake reality as he realized he just drove them to a swarm of cops - and at the center of it, Joven. "I'm baiting! Just baiting! It'll make things more interesting."

"No, it'll make us get killed. I just got killed. Thanks. Thanks a lot, Lasercorn," Sohinki grumbled.

"Hahaha! Officer Joven saves the day!"

"Officer Joven is getting a cap popped in his ass," Lasercorn got out of the car and fired - only to be wasted long before he got the chance. He looked up at the camera. "Well, that was GT Smosh. Thanks for watching - oh! Jovenshire went down."

"Yeah, I'm gonna come revenge kill him. Just for good measure," Sohinki idly commented.

They continued filming a little while longer just to capture anything funny they may have been able to splice into the video before deciding to call it quits. Sohinki was still butt sore over losing the challenge, tossing all the blame on Lasercorn who shrugged it off with ease. He was used to it by now, but more than that, he had his own larger problems to worry about. No use crying over spilled blood in GTA V.

When Joven got up to follow Sohinki out, Lasercorn swirled around in his chair to face him, "Hey, Joven, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He paused and turned in his direction. "Yeah, man. What's up?"

Lasercorn struggled for a moment. He hated apologizing. He usually had way too much pride to apologize to anyone. Especially Joven. But he sucked it up and did so anyway, feeling that after what had just happened in his own life, he owed it to his friend. "Look. About that thing you told me about you liking Mari? Sorry I laughed at you."

A look of confusion swept over Joven's face, "Um...okay?"

"I was just thinking about it a lot lately because I'm kind of in the same boat. Or...rather _ship_ I should say, and it sucks to be sinking on this one-sided ride, ya know?"

"I get it. Sort of. I mean, weird that it's coming out of the blue like this. Who is it? Anyone I know?"

Lasercorn should have known the questions would come once he tried to clear his conscience. Damn consciences. "I...er...yeah. It's someone you know."

"It's not Mari, is it?" Joven frowned at the prospect of having competition.

"No, it's not Mari," Lasercorn assured.

"Then who? Someone associated with Smosh Games? Someone we knew from Clevver Games?"

"Do you really need to know the who? Just be happy to have someone who understands. Besides, you'd probably laugh if I told you. Hell, he's probably telling people who are laughing right now."

"_He_?" Joven raised a brow.

_ Oh crap. _Lasercorn looked sheepish, "Did I say 'he'? I meant she...me...oh emm gee? No? Not buying it? Damn."

"Now you _really _gotta tell me who it is!"

"You'll laugh."

"Is it Ian?"

"Don't laugh."

Joven laughed.

"Stop laughing!" Lasercorn groaned, his head withering onto the table.

"Ahem, sorry. Not saying you don't totally deserve it after you laughed at me when I told you about Mari, but I'll be the bigger man. So what happened? Did you tell him yet?"

Lasercorn couldn't believe he was divulging this information to anyone except himself. Somehow it made the situation more real now that someone else was in on the secret. With his head still down on the table, his voice was muffled into his arms. "I didn't exactly tell him. Not with words, anyway. We hung out a little bit after last week's Game Bang...one thing led to the other and I got this stupid fortune cookie that made me get the brilliant idea to kiss him."

Joven's eyes widened with interest and he sat down next to Lasercorn, "No! Really? What'd he do?"

"Just stood there and took it. And then awkwardly left."

"And have you talked to him since then?"

Lasercorn lifted his head and shook it.

"So you gotta! The longer you let this go on, the worse and more awkward it's gonna get for the both of you, especially since you two gotta work together."

"Hold on, hold on. When did _you _become qualified to give me advice?" Lasercorn regarded Joven dubiously.

"Well," Joven's tone was confident and he slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "Just call me _Doctor Love._"

"...no."

"I think I'm giving pretty legitimate advice here, yanno."

"You can't even take your own advice! What did Mari say when you told her you liked her? Wait, that's right. You didn't. The only interaction you have with her are the times when you're creeping on her, and that's usually when you're with the rest of us too."

"I have nothing to do with this! We're talking about you here."

"You have everything to do with this! You can't give advice unless you're willing to take it..." Lasercorn pointed out.

"Fine, I will," Joven agreed easily enough. "But that means you have to, too."

"I planned on talking to him anyway at some point, so that's no big deal."

"No. Not just talking. You have to tell him how you feel - lay everything out on the table for better or worse."

"To have and to hold? To love and to cherish? Until death do us part? We're not getting married..."

Joven rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, but it also means you have to do the same thing."

"That's a given."

Lasercorn regarded him skeptically, "I don't know if I believe that. You forget that I'm one of the people who knows you best, right down to your pansy, chicken shit core. So if I'm gonna do this, I need you on board too. We're each others moral support."

"I'll do it," Joven seemed adamant. "But since you don't believe me, why don't we make it a challenge?"

"A challenge you say..." Lasercorn clapped his hands and rubbed them together in delight at the prospect. "Now you're talking my language. What are the stakes?"

Joven appeared thoughtful for a moment, "Alright. How about this? If neither of us confess by the end of the month, we have to make a public declaration of our feelings right on 'Why We're Single.'"

"Oooo, the bar has been set," Lasercorn winced. On one hand, he was pretty sure Ian would hate him if he went about such a public means of confessing his crush, on the other hand, it really did light a fire under his ass to actually make his confession. That and Lasercorn was presented with a challenge, and he typically didn't back away when presented with a challenge. "Alright. You're on."

"Shake on it," Joven extended his hand.

Lasercorn accepted it and shook. There was no going back now. "Prepare to stand alone on camera, and I'll be sure to let Mari know when the video's posted."

"Pshyeah right. You wish. It'll be you up there, making all the fangirls' dreams come true," Joven smirked before he climbed to his feet and proceeded in the direction he'd been going in the first place.

Lasercorn had to admit it was a good conversation. As much as he picked on Joven, he knew Joven was a good friend who would have his back. He had expected a little more flack for the surprise homo crush confession, but he was relieved when it didn't come. Lasercorn knew the world wasn't so black and white anymore and that homosexuality was on its way to being a socially accepted norm. He even knew his friends were on the bandwagon of supporters, teasing each other for being gay but never outright slandering anyone who lived that lifestyle unless it was meant to be fond teasing. Up until Ian, Lasercorn had identified as straight and he still had an attraction to women, so what did that make him? Iansexual? He laughed at the thought. He supposed there would be some out there who would claim that was its own subtype of a sexuality.

He guessed all that was left was to confront Ian and lay everything out for him. Worst that would happen would be a rejection, and that would be better than not knowing one way or the other, right? Lasercorn sighed to himself, reaching forward to power down his computer before he rose to his feet with a stretch. In the background, he heard Sohinki and Joven talking and as he neared the door, their conversation became clearer.

"What took you so long?" Sohinki asked.

"Lasercorn wanted to talk."

"Really? What about?"

"He's got a thing for Ian."

"I hear you talking out there and disclosing personal things!" Lasercorn called out, rounding the corner to join their chat.

"It's only fair after you did the same thing to me!" Joven retorted.

Sohinki looked up, glancing between Joven and Lasercorn before he gestured with his thumb back at Joven, "Is this guy serious right now?"

"Awkward confession time number two - yeah. He's serious. I have a...I'm not gonna call it a crush because that sounds weird...I have a _thing _for Ian."

Sohinki appeared so unsure of how to take the news that had suddenly been dumped on him, but the emotion he eventually settled on was wounded. "You told him before you told me? I thought I was your best friend."

"It's not about favorites, it's about empathy. We both have one-sided crushes, and unless you'd like to make a confession now, you're not sailing on the same lonely ship," Joven said.

Lasercorn scrunched his nose, "So yeah - I guess you should know we made a bet. We have to tell our people by the end of the month otherwise BAM. That confession's going up on 'Why We're Single.'"

"And BAM, it's not gonna be me," Joven countered.

"A whole month? C'mon, you guys. Now you're just stalling and that's pathetic," Sohinki folded his arms. "As the neutral party on the show, I'm modifying your bet and giving you a week. Obviously these confessions have been a long time coming, so if you can't summon up the balls to say it by the end of the week, you're saying it at the next 'Why We're Single.' It'll even be Awkward Videogame Crushes just to fit the theme, so start thinking them up between your little love poems or whatever you two are gonna do."

Lasercorn and Joven balked, looking at each other in panic. One week? Only one week to prepare? The two of them had been in agreement and a month would have definitely been enough time to get themselves into the mental state in order to confess. Now things would be rushed, and Lasercorn didn't know about Joven's situation, but he faced a different hurdle - the hurdle of Ian. Ian might not have wanted to talk to him for at least a week, and a premature confession might only serve to make it worse.

Still...it was a challenge. And Lasercorn was so weak-willed when it came to challenges with high stakes, "Alright. Fine. One week, then. Results should still be the same."

Joven didn't seem to hold nearly the same amount of confidence, his voice cracking at the words, "Y-yeah. Okay. A week, I can do this." But his voice pretty much gave away his thoughts, and his thoughts seemed to be screaming: _No I can't!_

There was no stopping the ball now that they had agreed. They sealed their fate, and come the following week, one way or the other, their feelings toward their prospective partners would be confessed. Lasercorn just hoped it didn't end in a complete disaster for the both of them.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: So this one's a short one. I was in the middle of typing it and was going to do another scene after this one, but I got to thinking 'you know what? This probably stands alone as a chapter, so why not post it up?' As always, hope you enjoy. And thank you to the commenters for your kind words and feedback! I really appreciate it. :)_

* * *

Anthony brought in one of the crates of mail from the garage, dumping it on the living room floor unceremoniously. Ian was seated nearby, idly thumbing through his phone, not even bothering to look up which made Anthony raise his brow. Something had definitely been off with Ian for the past couple of days. He seemed distant and distracted, moody and irritable. Anthony had even jokingly asked if it was 'that time of the month' to which he got an eye roll and a 'ha ha' but nothing else.

Ian wasn't being very forthcoming with information either. Whenever Anthony would ask him what was wrong, he would get a shrug or a 'nothing' or a change of topic - sometimes all three at once. But he knew Ian. He knew all it took was a little bit of patience and a whole lot of annoying persistence to get him to open up, so he could bide his time for now. They had a whole new Mail Time with Smosh session to film, after all, which meant spending plenty of quality talk time together.

"C'mon, man. Get the camera rolling," Anthony flopped down cross legged, spreading the various packages out on the carpet before rearing his hand back. "Ew! This one's wet."

Finally, Ian looked up, "That's what she said?"

Anthony had the corner of the envelope pinched between his thumb and his index finger, "There's some kind of..." he chanced a smell and then almost vomited. "It's rancid. Like rancid salad dressing."

"Throw that shit out!"

"On it. Seriously, what is wrong with people?" Anthony had one hand clenched to his mouth while the other carried the package to the kitchen, holding it as far away from himself as his arm could extend.

"I don't know, but if they're fans of us, they already have issues from the start," Ian's humor was still there, at least, though it was lacking in delivery; a half-hearted effort.

"Goddamnit. I feel like I need to scrub off with bleach after touching that thing."

"For what it's worth, it might not have been rancid from the start. We do kinda have a leaning tower of mailza out there that seems to have stacked up from the beginning of time," Ian reached out to grab a letter and started to peel it open.

"Maaaybe we should make an effort to open it more often. Maybe..." Anthony returned from the kitchen, shaking the water free from his hands before drying them on his pants.

They both contemplated what he said as though it was some novel revelation. But after a few seconds, they looked back at each other, shook their heads and said, "Nah."

It was then that Anthony noticed the already open letter, "What're you doing? Are you starting without me? Are you starting before we even turn on the camera? Did you forget how this works?"

"Uh...am I under interrogation right now? I plead the fifth?"

"You are under interrogation right now, actually. And the first question you're gonna answer is what's wrong."

"For the thousandth time, Anthony, _nothing's wrong_," Ian sounded exasperated and so very close to his breaking point.

"And for the thousandth time I don't believe you, so spill," Anthony's words were a mocking echo of Ian's exasperation, but he grew serious after a moment. "Look, you're my best friend and I care about you. I want to help, but you're kind of making it difficult if you won't even give me a general idea of what's going on."

"I told you. It's nothing. Will you drop it?"

Anthony sighed, long and suffering, "Alright. I'm just gonna have to guess. You and Melanie had a fight?"

"No," Ian grunted. "Well...yeah. But that's not what's bothering me."

"So there IS something bothering you!"

"Damnit, Anthony."

"Was this fight with Melanie related in any way, shape or form to whatever it was that was bothering you that wasn't your fight with Melanie?"

Ian glared at him.

Anthony considered this a victory. He was winning and just one more little push might do the trick, "If I were to give her a call right now, would she tell me what's-"

Ian was saved by the ringtone when his phone went off. He immediately retreated to it and looked at the number. Anthony watched as his friend's expression became subtly uncomfortable before he hit ignore, tossing the device to the side, "If we don't get started on this mail, we're gonna be here forever, you know."

"Who was that?"

"Who was what?"

"The phone, dumbass. Who called?"

Ian shrugged, "No one important."

Anthony regarded him skeptically and pretended to go along with it, reaching forward to start opening mail. Only once Ian's guard was down did Anthony go in for the attack, veering past the letter and snatching up the discarded phone. Ian tried to protest and it became an obnoxious game of keep away as Anthony thumbed through the recent contact list. When he saw the call had come from Lasercorn, his brows lifted. Of all the people who could have put Ian in such a sour mood, Lasercorn would have been the last one Anthony would have guessed. They got along so well, after all.

The question was written on his face before he said it, so he probably didn't even have to say it but he did anyway, "Lasercorn?"

Ian grabbed his phone back and put it even further out of Anthony's reach, not saying a word.

"What happened with you and Lasercorn?"

Apparently that was the final straw - the last push Ian needed before he snapped, "He kissed me, okay! Will you just drop it?"

Of all the things Ian could have said, all the crazy reasons he may have been so upset, this was not a possibility that had crossed Anthony's mind. As a matter of fact, his mind seemed to be having a hard time processing what he heard, echoing just to be sure, "He...kissed you? Like _kissed _you kissed you? Full mouth and everything?"

"Drop it."

"What did you do?"

"Drop it."

"You dropped it?" Anthony wasn't going to relent.

Ian gave him a steel blue glare, "I stood there for a little bit and let him. I guess I was in shock or something, and then I left."

"So how was it? Was it really bad and that's why you're not talking to him?"

Ian made some sound that probably would have been a curse, "No. It wasn't _bad_, I mean I don't really remember. It happened too fast, but I'm a little weirded out by it. It came outta nowhere. I always thought we were joking around with the whole Iancorn thing, and he just went ahead and made it real, and I don't know how to deal with that. I'm with Melanie for one thing, so it's not cool for him to get all up in my grill and start kissing me."

Anthony studied Ian for a moment, and it all became clear to him at once, "Because you liked it."

"I didn't say that," he looked up sharply, protesting.

Anthony laughed a little, "No, but I can tell. The way you're talking, the confusion, the fight you had with Melanie - even if it wasn't directly related to Lasercorn it was because of those confused feelings. And now you're torn. You don't know what to do so you hope that if you block Lasercorn out it'll go away and things'll go back to normal."

"Who died and made _you_ Doctor Phil?" Ian quirked a brow and then shook his head. "For the record, you're wrong."

"Am I? Then enlighten me," Anthony sat back and put on his best listening face, humoring Ian. "How am I wrong?"

"What's wrong is we got all this mail sitting on the floor and neither of us is making an effort to open it. What's wrong is you won't drop the topic. What's wrong is-" Ian's phone interrupted his tirade, this time a text. He checked the device and then shut it off entirely. "Damnit, why won't he just leave me alone?"

"Maybe because you're not telling him to leave you alone?"

Ian looked at Anthony with an expression that said he knew he was right, but didn't want to admit it. "I just need time to put my head back together. And I need the space to do it. It's not easy because I think Lasercorn's a cool guy and I don't wanna ruin our friendship by coming off like a douchebag and telling him to leave me alone. As it is, I don't even know how I'm gonna deal with facing him for Game Bang."

Anthony wanted to say Ian came off like a douchebag by not responding to his text, but he refrained from doing so. What Ian needed right now wasn't someone pointing out all his flaws, he needed someone who would be there to distract him, someone who would help him escape because when times got tough, Ian escaped rather than face his problems. It was the way he had always been and something that attracted Anthony to him because he was the same way growing up. The only thing he could do to ease his friend's burdens was to change the topic.

"Well, man, I'm here if you need me and I'll be there to help out with whatever you want. Just let me know. And actually let me know next time instead of forcing me to pry it out of you."

"Yeah, yeah." Ian smiled, a small smile but an appreciative one, "Thanks."

"Anytime, man. But...for now..." Anthony lingered on his words to build suspense, reaching over, and flipping on the camera. As soon was it was up and recording, he held it out at an awkward angle to capture the very best of his fake double chins. "It's mail time with Smosh!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Notes: So how about the most recent Game Bang, huh? Huh? Anyone else notice how slightly awkward Ian and Lasercorn seemed? How bouncy Lasercorn was with his leg which might have been nerves? Can I just imagine my imagination is real life and Iancorn is really a thing? Because that would make me so happy inside. :P ANYWAY, I was suffering insomnia so I managed to get this chapter finished tonight. Hope you enjoy! o/_

* * *

The day had finally arrived when they would be filming their next Game Bang. Lasercorn had been waiting for this day - the one day Ian wouldn't be able to avoid him because he had been doing a hell of a job evading his calls and texts during the week. Lasercorn had been tempted to spam Ian's inbox until he had no choice but to tell him to 'fuck off.' At least it would have been some form of communication. This whole not knowing where they stood made him anxious, and while Lasercorn had been anticipating the meet up today, when it finally arrived he was faced with an icy block of fear that sat in the pit of his stomach and chilled him inside.

Just like Joven, this was going to be Lasercorn's best chance for a confession. He had it planned. He would let the game progress as normal and then corner Ian afterward and pull him out before he even got the chance to protest. Then he would just come clean and say something along the lines of 'look. I like you.' Something simple and to the point because there was no use complicating things with a long, overdramatic confession. He didn't want to make it gayer than it was, and well...it was pretty high up there on the gay scale.

Donning a simple blue checkered, button down shirt and a pair of worn jeans, Lasercorn deemed himself ready - as ready as he was going to get. He spent the whole drive running various scenarios and outcomes of his conversation with Ian in his head, including one where they're talking and a zombie apocalypse happens or one where Ian gets abducted by aliens and it was up to Lasercorn to save the day. He liked the latter one in particular because in his mind, he not only got a badass gun but he kicked some ass to win Ian's heart. Considering the likelihood of it happening, though, Lasercorn spent the most time entertaining the more normal conversation paths.

Before long, he pulled up to the Smosh Games studio, finding his typical parking space and drawing in a deep breath. His fingers tensed around the steering wheel, palms clammy - which made him smile at the memory of his and Ian's ridiculous punishment and how Ian had complained about his clammy hands. What he wouldn't give to trade that moment for this one, to go back to the way things were. But all he could do was keep moving forward and it started by actually leaving the sanctuary of his damn car.

Lasercorn was reluctant to get out, but finally he did and as soon as he rounded the corner to enter the building, he spotted Joven hovering around out front. His eyebrows lifted when he caught sight of his shirt. "_I put the Man in Romance_, really? You think that's gonna sweep Mari off her feet?"

Joven made a face, one part indignant and one part embarrassed, "Shut up. I just grabbed the first clean thing I could find."

It was a blatant lie, but Lasercorn decided not to call him on it. Hopefully if he eased up on making fun of Joven, he would rack up enough good karma points to make things go his way. "They up there yet?"

Joven shook his head, "No. It's just Sohinki. Anthony called and said they'd be running a little late, and Mari should be here anytime."

"You ready to do this?"

With the same conviction as though he was saying 'of course', Joven said, "Absolutely not."

Lasercorn tucked his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet, "Yeah. Me neither. I kind of thought I was until I got here."

"We gotta, though. It'll be a lot worse for us if we don't. Probably more worse for you than me. Everyone's used to me being pathetic. That's kind of my role in our videos," Joven wasn't self-pitying, though. He was saying it in good nature, making a mockery of himself to lighten the mood.

"I guess that's true," Lasercorn agreed until he remembered that thing about good karma. Damnit! "But then again, you never know what weird fanfics you'll spawn. Maybe Mari will turn into a tentacle beast and have her way with you. I'd pay to read something like that."

Joven shuddered, "Why does it have to be tentacles? _Why_..."

"Because I'm a racist bastard. That's why," Lasercorn joked. As horribly nerve-wracking as this situation was, having Joven there to share his pain put him at ease.

Before their conversation could continue any further, Mari's car pulled into the parking lot. Lasercorn noticed Joven tense up and he most certainly couldn't hide his fear behind his glasses. Deciding to give him the opportunity to meet Mari alone, Lasercorn simply clapped him on the back twice for good luck before heading inside. Even if it was technically a bet, there was no point trying to sabotage. There would be no one person to win over the other because they could both lose and have to suffer the punishment together - so Lasercorn hoped at least one of them could make their confession. Naturally, if only one of them could do it, he wanted it to be him, but all's fair in life and challenges.

Lasercorn trudged into the game room and Sohinki glanced up when he did, "Either of you losers tell them yet?"

He shrugged, "Joven might get his chance now. I, on the other hand, have reached out to Ian a total of 26 times and got about this many responses." Lasercorn held up his hand to make a big, fat zero.

"Ouch. Sorry, dude. You could always leave him a text saying everything. That'd probably still count."

"Yeah, but that's cheap. Lasercorn does not do cheap. He will only go for challenge mode in life."

"Why are you talking in third person? That's just creepy. I advise you don't make your love confession that way."

"What you say?" He regressed into caveman. "Lasercorn no have love confession. Lasercorn no have crush confession. Lasercorn have interest confession only!"

Sohinki rolled his eyes, fiddling with the wires as he set up, "Whatever. They're all the same things."

"Are not!"

The door opened and Lasercorn froze, staring at it. Mari was the one who entered, though, and he released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Hey, guys. Geesh, Lasercorn, what's that look of intensity for?"

"Eh, you know. Just ready to get my game bang on and win the challenge," Lasercorn looked past her when Joven entered the room, canting his head in question. Joven slid his finger across his throat and shook his head. From the looks of it, they were still zero for zero.

"What're we playing anyway?" Mari obliviously walked over to a shelf to set down her purse.

"Mount your friends," Sohinki answered nonchalantly.

Mari raised her brows, "Wait. _What!_"

"It's a game, Mari. We're not going to try to mount you," Lasercorn patted her back in mock consolation.

She slapped his hand away, "I know that."

"Well, maybe..." Joven stroked his chin pensively.

Mari rounded on him, "Don't even. I will totally be mounting your ass as payback for last week."

"Whoa!" Lasercorn and Sohinki backed away with their arms up simultaneously.

"...I might just have an awkward boner," Joven added on. With their reactions combined they could all make Mari regret her words.

Sohinki made as though he was clearing his throat and muffled the words into his sleeve, "Wouldn't be the first time."

Lasercorn laughed and then remembered his vow. Damnit!

"Har, har," Mari flopped down onto one of the chairs, hooking her leg around the side and spinning in it idly. "Did Ian and Anthony say how long they were gonna be?"

"Nope," Sohinki responded. "Just that they would be a little late, and little holds a very broad range when left up to the minds of four very bored people."

"They better be on some epic quest or something, otherwise there's no excuse," Mari pulled out her phone. "Should I start spam texting them?"

"Good luck if you're trying Ian," Lasercorn couldn't help his bitter grumble.

"You're right. He's probably driving," Mari scrolled through her phone, missing the point entirely as she busied herself with texting. After a few seconds, she checked her phone again. "Anthony says they're in the parking lot right now."

The nervous part that had died down a little when Lasercorn realized Ian and Anthony weren't there yet returned even stronger than before. His stomach churned and he felt sick; his hands were cold and sweaty at the same time. He stuffed them in the pockets of his jeans, hoping that keeping them out of sight and mind would make the strange manifestation of his nerves go away. His eyes were fixed on the door, and when it finally opened his heart jumped to his throat. Anthony stepped inside first, apologizing for running late but offering some donut holes from Dunkin Donuts as a consolatory gift. Normally Lasercorn would have been right on them, but his attention was glued on Ian when he trailed in from behind.

Ian appeared Ian-like. There was no indication that what had happened between them had been keeping him up all night or anything, and Lasercorn didn't know why he expected there to be. Maybe he was hoping for some sign he made some kind of impact other than successfully making Ian ignore him for a week - some gauge to figure out where Ian stood before he went ahead and made a complete fool of himself. Ian greeted everyone with his normal flare before his eyes finally settled on Lasercorn, and when they locked gazes, Lasercorn felt as though everything inside of him stopped working for that brief second.

"Lasercorn," Ian nodded. A formality and nothing more.

"Ian," Lasercorn mimicked the gesture because two could play at that game.

And then Anthony barged right between them, "Lasercorn! What's good, man? How's it going?"

Caught off guard by the sudden enthusiasm flung his way, Lasercorn blinked up at Anthony once or twice, "It's...uh...well, going. What about you?"

"Couldn't be better," Anthony tossed his arm around his shoulders and led him away from Ian. "Donut hole?"

Lasercorn knew right then that it was intentional - Anthony was deliberately interrupting which would make talking to Ian even more of a challenge. Damnit! Joven didn't have it this difficult. Still despite the slight irritation he felt, Lasercorn was able to carry on as though all was normal, "You're offering me your hole? Don't say that too loud. Anthocorn or Laserthony might become the new thing." He accepted a handful of the donut holes, popping one in his mouth.

"Then Ian would be really jealous," Sohinki tossed out with a grin over at Ian, causing Lasercorn to smile to himself. What a bro! What a wingman!

Ian laughed at the joke, "Why get jealous when I could get a threeway?"

"This is true. Why stop at a threeway when you can get a sixway?" Mari suggested. "I might or might not have lotion."

The group laughed and then began to get situated for the ensuing game - Lasercorn finding it extremely appropriate that the game was Mount Your Friends. This proceeded on in true Smosh Games fashion - full of awkward, sexual innuendos and mockery. He and Ian bantered during it and as things went on, Lasercorn thought maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe, at the very least, there would be no damage done to his and Ian's friendship. He was a little glad Ian hadn't lost along with him, though. Even if they were able to talk to each other without the awkwardness, having to 'mount' each other would have been a different story. Instead it was him, Joven, and Anthony who had to make a mountain of men, and at the end of those ten seconds, Lasercorn had a newfound respect for cheerleaders.

The game had provided a nice distraction, but that was all it was. A distraction. Lasercorn still had a task he had to complete; a task he had prepared for. The nerves returned again, but he didn't give them a chance to come to full bloom. He headed straight for Ian, ready to follow through with phase one of his two part plan. He was so focused that he didn't realize the box of donuts had been shoved in his arms until he instinctively reached up to grab them. His eyes lowered to it, brows lifting and attention moving to the source. Anthony stood there.

"Take 'em home, man. I think everyone had what they wanted."

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," Lasercorn spoke dismissively, going to set them aside and walk around Anthony, but Anthony stepped in his path again.

"So, what're you up to?"

He really was starting to get annoyed, "Look. I got something important to take care of, so could you just-"

"We should hang out and get some dinner. We never really hang out without everyone and I think it'd be fun," Anthony cut him off.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," and finally Lasercorn was able to make it past Anthony, heading over to Ian. "Hey, Ian? Can I talk to you outside?"

Ian glanced up, opening his mouth to say something but he was cut off before he got the chance because Anthony was interjecting again, "So Lasercorn and I are gonna go out and grab some food. You can head back home if you want. I'm sure Lasercorn won't mind giving me a lift back to your place. Right, Lasercorn?"

"Anthony..." Lasercorn began lowly, trying to find as polite of a way as possible to tell him to 'fuck off' and not offend Ian.

But Ian seemed to roll with it, "Oh yeah. That's cool. I wanted to go do a few things anyway. You don't mind, do you, Lasercorn?"

_ Yes, I mind. _Lasercorn wanted to protest but he wasn't given much of a chance.

"Great, that works then. Go get your donuts and we'll head out. Any place you want, I'll buy," Anthony offered as though that would make up for being a complete cockblocking bastard.

"I'll see you guys next week..." Ian tossed on his jacket with a wave.

"Ian, wait!" Lasercorn protested. This was all going terribly wrong. This hadn't happened in his mental picture scenarios at all. What did he do?

"C'mon, man. I'm staaaarving," Anthony draped over Lasercorn - one part over dramatics, one part hindering him from going after Ian.

His fist clenched and he was half ready to haul off and punch Anthony for the missed opportunity. Lasercorn watched Ian disappear out the door with no hope of reaching him, and to make matters worse - he got to see Joven and Mari follow closely behind, Joven holding the door open for her. And as he watched them, he became increasingly aware that it was just going to be him, standing alone on 'Why We're Single' and telling the entire world about his feelings for Ian. He could feel piece by piece of his dignity crumble because unless by some miracle Ian talked to him in these next two days, Lasercorn had just lost his only chance.

The fight left him and his shoulders sagged as he allowed himself to be guided back in the direction of the donut holes, accepting them in his arms hollowly before being led out the door. Well, for what it was worth - his friendship with Ian had been nice while it lasted. Maybe he could take the opportunity to put in his resignation from Smosh Games over his dinner with Anthony and then punch him in the face as a parting gift.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Notes: Yaaay, I made it! LOL I was worried I wasn't going to get this done because I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so I won't be able to update for at least a week, but I made my deadline. Phew. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And sorry that you'll have to wait for the next one (but I hope it will be worth it if what I have in my head translates well to words!)_

* * *

Lasercorn took his chopsticks, stacking his noodles on top of each other to make a jenga pile of food. Anthony had been talking pretty much the entire time, but Lasercorn only either gave him one-worded responses or ignored him entirely. This was one of the times where he couldn't fake a good mood or an attention span. His mind was far too clouded by thoughts of how things might have gone if Anthony didn't interrupt and how much a plane ticket out of the country would cost him after he went through with his confession live on the internet.

When his mountain became a little top heavy, it leveled itself out and Lasercorn started from the beginning again - building it up as much as he could. He wasn't very hungry, but he didn't mind wasting his food since Anthony was paying for him to do so. Satisfied with his food pyramid, he stuck his chopstick in the top of it to mimic a flag and crowned himself the lo mein conqueror, glancing up and seeing Anthony was still talking. That must be what happens when you become a vlogger - you get used to just talking to an unreceptive audience.

"Can we get two more rounds of sake?" Anthony called out to a nearby waiter.

"I have to drive," Lasercorn responded.

"Wow. That's four more words than you've said all night. Now we're getting somewhere," he grinned a bit, leaning back in his chair. "We'll be sober before we leave. Trust me. Well, _you_ will be. I make no promises when it comes to my state of sobriety."

"I'd rather just leave."

"But we haven't even scratched the surface of the important part of this conversation."

"Oh? There's an important part?" Lasercorn asked boredly, looking up when the two steaming bottles of sake were set between them, along with two small bowl shaped cups. Ah what the hell. He could use a drink right about then.

"Uh...yeah. I've been building up to it this whole time. Why do you think I brought you out to dinner?" The 'duh' was unspoken but readable on Anthony's face as he wasted no time pouring himself a saucer full and tipping it back.

"Gee, I dunno. I thought it was maybe because you were being a cockblocking douchebag," Lasercorn slammed the cup down on the table after he took his drink. "You know, Anthony - you have no idea what you cost me tonight. I mean, I guess you will come Monday, but all I needed were just a few minutes alone with Ian and you couldn't even give me that. What's your deal?"

He shook his head, "It wasn't the right time."

"Excuse me?"

"With Ian," Anthony repeated, slowly and clearly. "It wasn't the right time. Look, I've known him for, well, it seems like pretty much forever. I know more about him than he probably knows about himself, and I know if you give him any chance to escape - he will. He probably would've been right out the door even if I didn't help him."

"Gee. Great. Good to know," Lasercorn let his sarcasm show in full. He would rather have had the chance to try talking to Ian than be told it probably wouldn't have happened anyway.

"Look. I've been where you are," Anthony's tone grew serious as he thumbed over the edge of his cup before deciding to fill it again. "With Ian, that is."

That caught him by surprise and lifted his veil of anger a tad. Lasercorn sat forward, his brows furrowing with interest. Was Anthony saying what he thought he was saying?

Noting Lasercorn's sudden presence where it was lacking before, Anthony tipped back his cup and swallowed the sake before extending his index finger toward him, "None of this leaves the room, got it?"

Lasercorn zipped his lips and held his silence, waiting.

Seeming to have gained a little more courage from the liquor, Anthony continued, "A few years ago, I had a thing for Ian. This was back when we were both single so there was nothing to fall back on. No excuses. The feeling was mutual for the most part, but the problem with Ian is that he's got this mindset and irrational fear of accepting the part of him that maaaaybe likes men. I don't know if it's because of Smosh and us being in the public eye or if it's more personal than that, but I do know he tends to run away from what makes him uncomfortable rather than face it."

"What happened? With the both of you?" Lasercorn finally decided to use his food for its intended purpose - eating.

"We struggled. We never actually came out to anyone, obviously, and that was a source of a lot of the fights. I'm much more out there in the open than Ian is, I guess, and it became hard to have to hide. When things were good, they were great. But when the good is only confined to someone's bedroom when no one else is around, it gets to be emotionally draining. I mean, I guess it was exciting having to sneak around at first, but after the first year it got tiring so I gave him the ultimatum. Either he comes to terms with what we have or we're done..."

"And...?"

Anthony offered a wan smile, "Well we're not together now, are we?"

Lasercorn's stomach sank, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It worked out for the best. I met my soul mate in Kalel and I have Ian as my best friend. I couldn't be happier. And now you get to be Ian's second chance."

"I wouldn't say second chance. Or even a chance at all. I don't even know that I'm pursuing a relationship. That kinda makes me feel like a homewrecker. He's with Melanie and all."

"They're fighting now. And even though I'm not encouraging them to break up, what I think is Ian needs to explore this. It's not fair to her if he isn't open with himself, and I know for sure he likes you a lot more than he's letting on."

Lasercorn perked up a little, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice for fear of sounding as desperate as Joven, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I saw the signs when we were talking about it. His flustered denial and his frustration to even entertain the notion of liking the kiss."

"...those are the signs?" Lasercorn asked doubtfully.

Anthony laughed, "Yeah. Trust me. Ian's got the emotional maturity of a ten year old, so it's a real good sign that he's got a thing for you. What he needs is a chance to see for himself what he wants."

"Uh...yeah. So about that? I'm kind of on a deadline."

"Deadline?"

Lasercorn rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, "Deadline. I made a bet with Joven and my stakes are I have to either reveal everything to Ian before the next 'Why We're Single' or it's coming out on the show."

"Why would you - nevermind," Anthony shook his head and poured himself some more sake. "Okay, so we get you two alone. You're not gonna be able to do it without me and fortunately for you I'm feeling a little like cupid."

"Please don't dress like him. Please just...don't," Lasercorn shook his head, smiling all the same as he plucked up a few more noodles and slurped them into his mouth.

"That hurts, Lasercorn. It hurts my heart to know that you'd rather check out Ian than me. I thought I was supposed to be the good looking one," Anthony mockingly wiped a tear away with his napkin.

"Just because I'm into Ian doesn't make me into all men in general! I'm just..." he thought. "Iansexual."

"I guess that's fine. I get the ladies and he can cover the men."

"And what about the in between?"

"Free for all."

Lasercorn laughed. It felt good to laugh. He thought this evening was going to end in misery, but things were turning quite optimistic. "So what is this incredible plan of yours, anyway?"

"Simple. I was gonna crash at the Smosh house for a few days so we could film some stuff. When Ian heads out for food, I'll call him up and keep him busy by having him run me some favors. You head on over to the place, I'll slip out, and when he comes into my room to give me what he bought - he comes face to face with you. The rest is in your hands because Ian won't have anywhere to escape to that you won't be able to follow."

"Can I call you my fairy godmother? Making magic happen with a wave of your wand?"

"I won't be waving my _wand_ at either of you, but I will be cheering you on. I better be the first person you call afterward. For all this charity and goodness I'm giving, I deserve to be the first to know."

"You got it," Lasercorn looked up when their waitress came over with the bill and a couple of fortune cookies. He placed his index finger on the plastic wrapper of one, dragging it closer. "When should we do this?"

"I dunno, man. You got until Monday, right? So how about the day after tomorrow?"

Lasercorn was about to nod and say it sounded good, but for some reason he wanted to crack open his fortune cookie first. A fortune cookie started this and guided him into his first stupid action, so maybe this one would do the same. He pulled it apart, setting both halves to the side and freeing the small slip of paper.

_ Tomorrow is your lucky day. (Smiley face)_

He stared at the fortune for a moment before idly speaking up, "Tomorrow."

"What?"

Lasercorn looked up to meet Anthony's perplexed gaze, "Tomorrow. We have to do it tomorrow."

"Why...?"

"Because...the stupid fortune cookie said tomorrow," he slammed the slip of paper down on the table with a determined nod. "And who am I to go against fate?"

"Didn't you see the whole skit Ian and I did on that? With the fortune cookie and marriage...?" Anthony shook his head. "Worse yet, didn't you see the Chinese Food song? Do you really want pedopanda barging in on your slumber party?"

"I try really hard not to think about traumatic things while I'm eating. Thanks for ruining my meal, Anthony," Lasercorn pushed his plate aside, requesting a box at the same time as Anthony handed his credit card over to the lingering waitress. Once she left, Lasercorn looked back at Anthony, his tone sobering. "But seriously. Thanks. I was really pissed off at you at the beginning of this."

"Call it my awesome sixth sense, but I could kind of tell," Anthony teased.

"You've made amends, matey, and are no longer on ye ole shitlist, yarr."

"You've been playing waaay too much AC4, yarr."

"Yarr, I have, yarr!"

Anthony shook his head with a smile, signing the receipt when it came back with his card, "Are we ready to go?"

"Ready when you are," Lasercorn picked up his container, tucking it under one arm. His eyes lingered on the table for a moment before he reached out to take the fortune cookie message with him, stuffing it in his pocket.

He didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but at least he knew one thing - he wouldn't be making that announcement on 'Why We're Single.' Hopefully Joven kicked his own ass into gear, otherwise he would be standing alone as the solitary loser of their bet. Tomorrow had already brought Lasercorn luck in that respect, but if his fortune cookie was to be believed, tomorrow's forecast would be rich in luck - partially cloudy with a chance of getting lucky.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Notes: I'm baaaaack! Did you miss me? I did my best to get this written pretty quick. I probably didn't give it a proper proofread, so I'm sorry for any mistakes! Also, NunyaNo - thank you for the concrit! Since this is my first Smosh fic, I wasn't sure if people preferred them being called by their real names or the names they go by in the videos. For consistency, I'm going to keep just using their nicknames because this story is almost done so it'd be weird to change it up for the last couple chapters, BUT! I will definitely remember that for future fics!_

_Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far, and as always, I hope you enjoy!_

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Lasercorn had barely slept the night before. He thought it was a little pathetic to be up all night - a little too high school girl to be filled with nervous, excited energy over what was essentially (Lasercorn still wouldn't use the word) a crush, but there he was, tossing and turning in bed while tossing and turning the thoughts over and over again. The award for most surprisingly awesome friend had to go to Anthony for giving him this opportunity and using his knowledge of Ian to pave the way for Lasercorn.

Time seemed to drag and speed up on a whim - minutes felt like hours and hours felt like minutes until he finally got the call from Anthony that Ian was heading out the door. Those words made everything that much more real. This was it. It was really happening this time. Not fake happening like he thought the day before - but actually, legitimately happening. In only a few hours time, Ian would know everything, Lasercorn wouldn't lose the bet - and from there on, only time would tell.

Lasercorn headed over to the Smosh house, full of boundless nerves and anxious anxiety, both combining to form a unique level of excited energy. He parked a few blocks south of the place so as to not give it away completely when Ian came home and saw his car in the driveway. He found walking to the house was revitalizing, anyway. It gave him time to collect himself and prepare. Lasercorn hadn't bothered to go over the various conversation paths this time, one part because he'd already been there and done that and most of them were still fresh in his mind, but mainly because he felt better winging it. It would be much more genuine that way.

Soon, though, he ran out of pavement to walk on - reaching his destination quicker than he expected. Lasercorn drew in a breath and knocked on the door, being greeted by Anthony and his glorious bed head. He eyed the messy strands and idly commented, "Nice hair."

Anthony grumbled something, a toothbrush was poking out of his mouth, successfully muddling the words as he attempted to flatten his runaway hair boners. Lasercorn took it as an invitation inside when Anthony turned his back and walked toward the kitchen sink to spit. He rinsed his mouth, grabbed a paper towel to wipe it, and then headed to the bathroom to put his toothbrush away, calling out, "Ian should be back in about twenty minutes. You want anything in the meantime?"

"No. I'm good," Lasercorn didn't trust his ability to hold down food with the way his stomach was doing somersaults.

Anthony returned to the living room, a hat tossed on his head to hide the mess, "So you ready?"

"Not at all, but I somehow think I'll be okay. Any last minute, awesome advice you wanna give would be much appreciated, though."

He thought for a moment, "Just be yourself. I guess that's the most basic advice I can give and something you probably already know, but Ian likes you for you - so you don't have to do anything fancy and definitely don't try to woo him with poetry."

"Damn. You ruined my whole plan. Is serenading still okay?"

"Only if you're singing Katy Perry songs while twerking."

"Guess that's out too," Lasercorn shook his head with a rueful smile.

"But seriously, I think you're gonna be fine," Anthony grabbed his jacket, tossing it over his shoulders and cramming his arms in the sleeves. "The thing about Ian, is no matter how awkward or intense things get - he's good about not letting it get in the way of his friendships. So even if it doesn't work out to be happily ever after, he's not gonna shun you. Maybe for a few days, but...it'll be water over the bridge or under the bridge or wherever water goes."

"That's comforting, I guess," he shrugged and swung his arms absently. He didn't know where to go from here, but at least Anthony seemed to be guiding the way.

"Wait in my room for him. He'll stop by there first to give me the stuff I asked for. Then, if you guys wind up making out, I'd prefer you do it somewhere else 'cause I'm not gonna be mopping the stains off of Mario's face," Anthony checked his pockets to make sure he had everything needed for his time away.

Lasercorn laughed, "I'll try to control my overactive libido and my explosive aim. You have no right to shudder - you brought it up."

"And you put the picture in my head. Thanks. I didn't feel like eating breakfast anyway," Anthony rolled his eyes and then reached out his hand. "Well, Lasercorn, good luck."

Lasercorn caught the hand, pulling Anthony in to clap him on the back, "Thanks, man. Today's supposed to be full of it, so here's hoping. Have fun while you're out."

Anthony nodded, waved, and headed on his way - leaving Lasercorn alone for the time being. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do with himself. The waiting game was on, and the question was - did he barricade himself in Anthony's room until Ian arrived or did he find something else to occupy his time? Not wanting to take any chances of Ian getting home early and running out the door as soon as he saw him there, Lasercorn opted to head into Anthony's room where he killed time by looking at posters, flipping through magazines, and nosily going through his drawers because when boredom struck, respecting someone's privacy was a thing of the past. He really didn't find anything blackmail worthy anyway. Anthony had probably moved most of that stuff to his place with Kalel.

So after exhausting all other options for entertainment, he sat down on Anthony's unmade bed and turned on the tv, flipping through channels with no real interest in what was playing. He just needed something to do, something to make him mindless and ease his nerves. For the most part, it worked. He could successfully zombify when being pulled into some ridiculous talk show with a love triangle and life issues far worse than Lasercorn could ever face. But even the shows couldn't stop his stomach from dropping the instant he heard the main door open in the living room.

Lasercorn gnawed on his bottom lip, hearing the footsteps approach. He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was it. It was really happening. He was torn between excitement and wanting to run away. His eyes locked on the door when the knob twisted and finally opened inward.

"I got you the hemorrhoid cream. You better not be shitting me, Anthony, 'cause do you know how em-" Ian was about to toss the bag onto the bed when he came to the belated realization that he wasn't talking to Anthony.

Lasercorn lifted his hand for a lame wave, "Hey."

"Uh..." Ian's brows furrowed in confusion. "Hey, Lasercorn? What're you doing here? Where's Anthony?"

"He left for a bit," Lasercorn moistened his lips with his tongue, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "And I'm here because we need to talk."

All at once the realization dawned on Ian's face, "That bastard." He dropped the bag onto the floor and then turned to walk out of the room. "We don't really have anything to talk about."

Knowing from Anthony's warning that Ian was an escapist, Lasercorn was determined not to let him get very far. He sprang up to his feet with an agility he didn't know existed and grabbed his arm to stop him. "We do and you know it."

Ian hesitated, stopping in his tracks and slowly looking over his shoulder. Lasercorn took this as a sign that he could continue.

"How about I talk and you just listen? Because I...hoh boy," he paused, trying to collect his thoughts. It was amazing how much nerves could affect someone. Lasercorn had this all mapped out in his head only a day ago. With no other choice but to push forward, he drew in a deep breath and went for it. "I like you, Ian. And not just a friendly like. This is a...I would totally be okay with making out with you sort of like. Which, I mean, I don't consider myself gay. I had a very female fiancé up until a month ago with very female parts that I liked. But I don't know. When it comes to you, everything's different."

"I have a girlfriend," Ian pointed out. But it wasn't just pointing it out - it was his solitary reason. He gave nothing else, no hints at how he felt, no nothing.

"That's your safety net answer, then? Just that you have a girlfriend? And what if you didn't have a girlfriend? What would you say then?"

Ian wrenched his hand free, "There's no point in even saying it because I do."

Lasercorn realized it might not have been the most heartfelt confession, but he was still frustrated by Ian's complete lack of even saying one way or another how he felt. It would have even been better to hear 'sorry, I'm not interested' than the blanket response he got. Ian was playing it safe, which made Lasercorn suspect Anthony was right all along.

"Then how about you kiss me again, huh?"

"Didn't you hear me already? I'm not gonna cheat on Melanie and that's it. Look, dude, I'm really flattered and everything, but I can't be what you want from me."

"A kiss is hardly cheating. No worse than what you're doing if you keep going forward with thoughts of what might have been. Anthony told me already you and Mel are fighting. So who's to say that won't get worse? All because you won't let yourself know one way or the other."

"Anthony needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut," Ian grumbled. "But we're not going there, David."

"Oh...so now we're on first name basis? Shit's getting serious. 'Bout time, I was starting to worry I wasn't getting to you yet."

"Are you fucking mocking me?" Ian asked incredulously. "You have no right to barge into my house and dump your baggage on me! You're the one who messed everything up in the first place!"

"_I _messed things up?" Lasercorn laughed. "I did? And what did I mess up? Your happy little fantasy world in which you don't face your feelings and bury them away deep inside out of shame? Did I push you out of your sexually confused comfort zone? I'd say I'm sorry, except I'm not really."

"We're done," Ian spoke with an air of finality as he headed toward his bedroom.

Rather than respecting his wishes, Lasercorn trailed behind him, stopping in the doorway so Ian couldn't close him out, "Are you really going to run away from this?"

"I'm not running away. I'm ending the conversation because you won't take no for an answer."

Lasercorn shook his head adamantly, "You're wrong. I'll take no for an answer, but you're not giving me a no. You're giving me excuses. One kiss, Ian. That's all I'm asking you for. One kiss and I'll leave it alone for good."

There was a tentative reluctance on his face and in his voice, "Just one kiss and you'll drop it?"

He nodded, crossing his heart and hoping to die.

Ian studied him skeptically before he seemed to resign to his fate. Lasercorn's heart began to race as Ian stepped forward, closing the gap between them. When their lips met for the second time, it felt electric - far better than the first time. It was only seconds into the kiss, but Lasercorn knew it wasn't a one-sided feeling. Ian may have started out with the plan to only do this to appease him, but as soon as they locked together - Lasercorn felt the shift. He felt everything Ian had been afraid of melt away into a quickly deepening kiss. It was heated, passionate, and hungry. It was full of all the excitement and newness of a budding relationship - or at least a budding primal need.

Heat spread throughout Lasercorn's body like a raging fire, and he grabbed Ian - pressing him close. Ian didn't protest and most certainly didn't break the kiss. It was wonderfully dizzying from both the lack of air and presence of a rapidly consuming desire. They remained glued together for as long as their bodies would allow until eventually they had to taper off to breathe. Lasercorn separated only inches, panting and breathless. Ian was left in a similar state.

"So I'm guessing from the state of your boner, that wasn't just nothing to you, was it?" Lasercorn regarded Ian in mild amusement.

Ian flushed, evading Lasercorn's gaze, "I didn't say it was nothing. I just said we can't. This shouldn't even be happening. We went too far al-"

"Shh," Lasercorn kissed him again, but it was brief. "Stop ruining the moment by overanalyzing and start being in the moment by living."

"Part of me really hates you right now, David."

"And part of you really wants me right now, Ian. So which part are you gonna give into?"

Ian appeared to consider it - to turn it over and give it serious thought. But as much as he may have wanted to stick to his morals, in the end, he was a man. When temptation was presented, when a kiss and a connection to someone else was so electric and arousing - it took the utmost will power to deny the bodily needs. Lasercorn felt a little guilty to be the one to force Ian into a difficult spot, but when Ian kissed him again, the guilt vanished as though it was never there. They could address the rough road ahead later - for now, Lasercorn wanted to enjoy the moment and explore the path life was opening to him right now. As he felt Ian's hands lower toward the spots that most ached to be touched, Lasercorn vowed to never disobey his fortune cookies when it came to matters of his romantic life. It truly was his lucky day.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Notes: What is this site's issue with asterisks? Grrr. lol this was the first chapter I had a time skip in and I can't figure out how to put in asterisks or extra spaces to denote the time skip so I just stuck a dumb ol' line in there. Meh. Either way, as sad as I am to say it...I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be the last. All is not lost, though! I got another idea for a (much MUCH darker) Iancorn that I'm gonna start immediately after this. I ship them so hard and there are not nearly enough stories. (sobsob write me some!) I might even make a sequel to this story if people actually want it since I may or may not be ending on a cliffhanger. :P EITHER WAY, I'm rambling enough...so enjoy the chapter and thanks to everyone who's read and stuck with me so far! _

* * *

Puddles of clothing paved the path toward Ian's bed where Lasercorn and Ian were tucked away beneath the blankets - laying beside each other in breathless, post coital bliss. Every inch of Lasercorn's body thrummed with a pleasant satisfaction, even the parts that were a bit sore and stretched. It felt right. It was amazing how right it felt. Granted, Ian had experience with Anthony in this area, but it was Lasercorn's first time with a man and for some reason, nothing felt awkward or clumsy which led him to believe (as corny as it was) he and Ian were right for each other. That and he just had one of the most powerful orgasms in his life, so he was more than ready to taste that once again.

Lasercorn's head lolled in Ian's direction, studying him. Ian met the gaze after a few moments, his lips set in an unreadable thin line. Lasercorn raised a brow in question, and that was the point when Ian decided to put his thoughts into words, "Well. I cheated."

"You did. We did. So where are you going from here?"

Ian shook his head, looking at a complete loss, "I have no idea."

"Well, I could make some suggestions. They might be entirely one-sided and selfish suggestions, though. Letting you in on a little secret here, I might be a bit biased," Lasercorn gave Ian a half smile.

"I'm open to hearing these quote unquote biased suggestions," he rubbed his hands over his face, muffling a grunt. "But as far as things go on my end, I just don't know. I've been with Mel for a long time, and I thought I knew where we were going in life. I'm sure we could recover from this, but I'm not so sure we would." Ian glanced over, meeting Lasercorn's eyes. "Because you're right. I'd always wonder what could have been."

"I don't think there's any _right_ choice. As much as I wanna say 'hey, let's explore this whole thing and see where it goes,' I can't guarantee we'd work out because that wouldn't be realistic. We could come across our own problems or find that despite the mindblowingly awesome sex, we don't have much else going for us. We could just get bored with each other. Or we could go on to have something amazing. Who knows?" Lasercorn shrugged. "Wait. I know who would know! Where's a fortune cookie when you need one?"

Ian laughed, "Seriously? Putting your faith in a fortune cookie? What? Did one tell you we were gonna wind up in bed today? I mean, before you added the whole 'in bed' thing to the end of it?"

"Well it did say I was gonna get..." he paused and waggled his eyebrows. "..._lucky. _Oh god, I feel dirty saying it. Like Joven's lame just infected me. Get it off, get it off." He brushed away the imaginary Joven germs.

"Sorry, man. Once infected, there's no cure."

"As long as a walrus laugh isn't one of the symptoms, I guess I'll live," Lasercorn brought his hand onto his stomach, drumming his fingers on the bare flesh. "You know - changing the topic now - this turned out a lot better than I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"To not get through to you. To lay everything out on the table and then be rejected flat out, or maybe even laughed at. I don't know. Something else. Not sex, that's for sure. But I guess that's just as good of a sign as any that this ain't a one-sided thing, huh?"

Ian studied him for a moment before looking away with a small smile, "You really thought it was?"

"I didn't know what to think. Everything happened so fast that first night. I don't know you the way Anthony knows you. It's hard to tell when you're serious and when you're joking, you know."

"It's weird how this morphed into...well...this," Ian gestured toward the both of them, naked in bed. "I guess looking back on it now, there was a part of me that was always a little serious with our jokes, but attraction happens all the time. Attraction isn't cheating. Acting on the attraction, however...I never planned on doing that. Didn't want to open that door up, but you took care of that - barging straight through it like the KoolAid Man. Still not sure whether to hate you for it or be grateful, because now things get tough. Either choice I make, I hurt someone."

Lasercorn inched closer, his nose burrowing in the side of Ian's ribs - mouth brushing over skin, "Well, I'll be disappointed, yeah. But I won't be too hurt if you choose to stay with Melanie, because I'll know you made the choice that's best for you. Not the choice you thought was best for you because you didn't even want to try making out with me."

Ian let out a little sound of enjoyment at the attention, "If it comes down to it, I hope you mean that. 'Cause I'm pretty sure Mel's gonna be pissed, so the less hate I can get on me the better."

"Hate you for my decisions to press this and force the issue? Hardly. Though...ah, about that. See, if it was up to me I probably would've given it a little more time before I made my entirely romantic and heartfelt confession, but I had a bet I couldn't lose."

His eyebrows lifted in vague interest, "Go on."

"Okay, so...Joven's got this thing for Mari and it kind of came out to him that I had a thing for you. So we all decided-"

"We all? How many people know about this?"

Lasercorn averted his attention to his hands, extending fingers as he listed them uneasily, "Uh...well...Joven, Sohinki and Anthony."

"So everyone except Mari..."

"...basically, yeah," Lasercorn scooted to the side to put a little distance between them. Ian didn't seem to be too happy about the revelation that this whole Iancorn thing was shared between 90% of SmoshGames. "But to be fair, you kind of told Anthony. So that one wasn't my fault."

Ian brought his hand to his forehead, "So what was the bet..."

"Are you mad? You sound mad."

"I'm irritated. What was the bet?"

Lasercorn shifted his weight so he could prop himself up on his elbow, torn between trying to mend whatever he did to aggravate Ian or continue on with his story. Deciding the damage control could be taken care of after he answered the question, he went there first, "Well...Joven has a thing for Mari. He's had a crush on her for a while, so we decided that we were going to see if we could encourage each other to confess by having the threat hanging over our heads that if we didn't come out with it to the respective party, we'd have to confess live on Why We're Single the week after next. Buuuuut then Sohinki upped the stakes and made it before, well, the day after tomorrow."

Ian remained silent, but Lasercorn could see the tension in his jaw. After a moment, he gave voice to his concerns. "You would've done that to me? Embarrassed me all across YouTube?"

"...I didn't plan on losing the bet, Ian. Obviously...I mean, look at us."

"But the fact that you even agreed to the stakes means you accepted it as a possible outcome."

"A possible outcome, yeah. But not a likely one. And do you even think the fans would've taken it seriously? They probably would've laughed it off as some stupid joke. You wouldn't have had to worry about anything."

"Uh. No. Do you know our fans? Do you understand what you would've started?"

"And so what? What's got you so afraid of what people would think about you, Ian? It's kind of ridiculous. People who would judge you? Those people don't matter. You and I? We just had amazing sex. You put your dick in my ass, which...hey is probably literally the gayest thing guys can do together. And you know what? It was good. I'm pretty sure you liked it just as much as I did - and yet the one thing you worry about in all of this is the risk that people will find out about it? Like it's something to be ashamed of? Like I'm something to be ashamed of or Anthony was?"

Ian winced, "He told you about that too?"

"Yeah, and do you see how I don't care? How I'm not judging you?"

A sigh unveiled past Ian's lips and he closed his eyes for a moment before he spoke again. The irritation had evaporated entirely, replaced by an uncertainty, "I guess I'm just scared of things changing. Anthony and I worked so hard to build things up to what they are. People know us and like us the way we are. Look at how they bitch if someone changes their look. If I were to suddenly throw them the curveball that my sexual orientation changed over night, what would they think? Would that ruin things? Would things ever be able to be the same after that?"

Lasercorn's expression softened when Ian confided in him. To have broken through the defensive and fearful barrier to get to the truth was both relieving and touching. "And the people you want to keep around are going to be the ones who stick around...plus a whole lot more. Supporters would flock to you. The world is different now, Ian - much more open and accepting because people have learned to be open and accepting of themselves. It's your turn to do the same."

The look Ian gave him was appreciative and grateful. Apparently he had said the right thing. It gave Lasercorn a warm feeling right down in his core (though embarrassingly enough, it did hit his groin, too). Ian sidled closer, erasing the distance between them and hooking lips on Lasercorn's again. He melted into the kiss, not wanting to come up for air and frowning when Ian was the one to taper off. Though when Ian made his next suggestion, Lasercorn couldn't hold it against him.

"So...how do you feel about going for round two?" Ian's brows lifted suggestively.

Lasercorn responded without words, his mouth going back to reclaim the set of lips that got away from him before. Maybe he would regret it when it came to walking out of here later, but even if he had to waddle awkwardly to his car, Lasercorn would leave with the satisfaction of winning his end of the bet...and perhaps a little more.

* * *

When Lasercorn arrived on set Monday morning, he felt better than he had in weeks. It had been an emotional roller coaster of a few days - each one taking a new, unexpected turn, but although it flew by too fast, Lasercorn was left with the glory of having conquered it all. He still didn't know where he stood with Ian, but they had talked pretty much all day Sunday - so at least he knew he wasn't being avoided after what happened on his 'lucky day.'

Lasercorn strode into headquarters with his head high, and when Sohinki caught sight of him, a knowing smile crossed his friend's lips. He supposed it was obvious what happened - he wore the confidence and afterglow of his victory in every step he took. It was hard not to since Lasercorn was still riding the emotional high from Saturday.

"So, I take it your talk with Ian was a success?"

"Mission accomplished and annihilated," he smirked and accepted Sohinki's offered high five.

"Does that mean you two are some kind of item now or something?"

"Well, that's the one part I don't know. Fortunately, that's not knowledge that's necessary to win the bet, sooo that will come in its own time. Any word from Joven? Is he here yet?"

"Haven't seen or heard from him in a few days. Starting to wonder if maybe he decided to skip the border to escape his fate," Sohinki checked to make sure the camera was set up on its tripod properly.

Lasercorn crossed his arms, shaking his head, "No way. Joven had it far easier than I did. He even caught up with Mari after the last Game Bang. There's no way he would botch this."

Sohinki raised his brows, "We're talking about the same Joven, right? Because that sounded an awful lot like you were actually putting faith in him."

Shrugging it off with a laugh, Lasercorn knew Sohinki had a point. But there was a part of him that hoped Joven would persevere because he would feel bad being the only one to emerge victorious (though not as bad as he would have felt if the tables were turned). Fortunately, they didn't have to wait very long to find out their friend's fate. He arrived in true Joven style shortly after they were making fun of him, and at first it was hard to tell the outcome of his trials.

That was until he looked up, met Lasercorn's gaze, and then held his hands up with a grave shake of his head. He looked so defeated at his loss, even Sohinki seemed to feel bad - going over to clap him on the back. "Chin up, man. Who knows. Maybe she'll really dig your virtual confession."

This only caused Joven's head to sag further in embarrassment, "Can you just shoot me now? I think that'd be a whole lot less painful."

Lasercorn swept in and wrapped his arm around Joven's shoulders, "Hey, man, think of it this way - it's gonna feel a lot better to get it off of your chest. Sure, you're sharing it with millions of viewers, too, but at least it won't feel that way until you go read the comments."

"Is this supposed to be comforting? You guys are doing a really crappy job at it, if so."

"I'll give you fifteen minutes to come up with your confession and free dibs on the candy in the break room. Does that help?" Sohinki offered, not even pretending as though he cared very much. It was just a typical Smosh Games video in which Joven suffered some horrible punishment. No big deal, right?

Except it was a big deal to Lasercorn because he had almost been where Joven was now, so he was ready to call a truce, "Look, man. It doesn't matter all that much anymore. If you don't wanna say it on camera, you don't have to. I don't think anyone's gonna be too upset if you don't feel comfortable bringing your personal business into our very public videos."

"Uh...I am. A bet's a bet. Joven knew the stakes and now he's gotta pay up," Sohinki folded his arms. "Look, Lasercorn, I get what you're trying to do and that's nice of you to be the good friend who's sparing his feelings, but I'm gonna be the douchebag friend who says that if he doesn't do it now, when is he gonna do it? He won't unless the pressure's on, that much is obvious. How long has he had this crush now? How many chances did he have to tell her? How many chances did he take? Spoiler alert: none."

Lasercorn opened his mouth to protest and argue that Sohinki had no idea how challenging it actually was, but Joven lifted his hand to stop the verbal battle - closing his eyes in resignation, "Thanks, Lasercorn, but Sohinki's right. I lost the bet, so now it's time to pay the price. I'll deal with it. I'm sure some of our punishments have been higher up on the embarrassment scale."

"You sure...?" Lasercorn tried to gauge and read into his real emotions - to see beyond the strong exterior Joven was wearing and catch any hint that he wanted an out.

Joven looked between them both and then nodded, a determination squaring his jaw, "Positive. The only question left is which side do you think is my good side?" He turned from right to left in front of the camera, trying to determine which angle to give his confession.

Lasercorn had to hand it to Joven. He may have been deemed the lamest of them all, but right now he had the biggest balls of anyone. It took a lot of bravery to make a love confession, but it took even more to make it in such a public way. Joven was dragging the internet masses into his affairs of the heart, and they would either be on his side or against him - and either way it went, it was bound to flood his and Mari's inbox, so Lasercorn just hoped it worked out in the end for the both of them. And while he was at it, he kind of hoped things worked in his own favor, too.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Notes: Well guys (sniffsniff) this is it. The final chapter. And it is hella long. I was actually really tempted to split it up and make it two chapters, but for some reason I think it works as a massive one. I really want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read so far, especially those who have taken the time to leave me feedback. Your comments have made me smile. And an extra special shout out to Useful who left me some amazing messages and comments. HEART YOU!_

_Thank you all so much for making writing for this fandom a positive experience. (I was worried I would suck really bad orz). Let me know if you want to see a sequel or if you have anything else you'd like me to try writing! Iancorn is my main love for sure, but I'm always willing to try writing different pairings! Anyway, enough of me rambling. Hope you enjoy the finale!_

* * *

Mari was exhausted by the time she got back to her apartment. It had been a day full of running errands with no time in between for herself, and she couldn't wait to sit down with a cup of tea while browsing netflix. But first she headed toward the kitchen, dumping her grocery bags on the table and proceeding to put away the important things - the things that needed to be refrigerated or frozen. Everything else could wait.

She filled the kettle with water, putting it on the stove to boil before heading to the living room, plopping on the couch and relishing in what a delight it was to sit down, even if it was only until her tea water was ready. While she waited, she grabbed her laptop, figuring she could check her twitter and e-mail. However, when Mari signed on it was like a tweetsplosion. Her inbox (all of them) weren't much better.

"Holy..." she uttered, scrolling down, and down, and down even further.

Some of it was nonsense, but most of it had to do with Joven or Marishire. There were even a few fans battling on behalf of Marhinki, and while shipping was a normal thing that happened from time to time, Mari had never seen it on this magnitude. She had no idea what was going on until she caught glimpse of someone mentioning the SmoshGames latest video. Mari immediately brought up another tab, going to YouTube to check out what was causing the commotion. Clicking on the latest 'Why We're Single' video, she watched it avidly - on the edge of her seat. Leave it to boys to make some kind of crazy mess.

The video seemed to progress in the same 'Why We're Single' fashion, the theme being awkward video game crushes where they went on about their favorite characters who either had awkward crushes or were the object of desire of someone else's awkward crush. Sohinki started, followed by Lasercorn, and then Joven. The pattern repeated until the end, and so far Mari hadn't seen anything that could offer an explanation for the insane fan reactions. She was tempted to scroll down and read some of the comments, but decided to stick it out until the end of the video.

Joven came on at last, looking awkwardly Joven - rocking back and forth on his feet, "Alright, so anyone who knows me probably saw this coming a mile away - but I have to mention Final Fantasy VII. I mean, come on - how many awkward crushes are there to chose from in there?"

The screen briefly flashed to Cloud on a 'date' with Barrett at the Golden Saucer.

"But more specifically, I wanna hone in on Tifa and Cloud. They knew each other since they were little kids, and just look at her. Look at this woman." He pointed to the side of the screen. "We'll get a picture popping up somewhere over here..."

The image that popped up wasn't of Tifa, but instead of Mari. She raised her brow in surprise. What was this? Some kind of technical error? Mari shook her head, "Joven, you idiot."

"Just look at this girl - she's beautiful, amazing, and she can definitely kick anyone's ass so you don't wanna mess with her. I mean, who wouldn't fall for someone like that? And Cloud, sure he becomes a badass eventually, but when he falls for her - he's not that way. As a matter of fact, he's kind of a loser with big dreams so the fact that she even associates when him is pretty damn awesome on her part..." he trailed off, seeming strangely embarrassed.

"Are you gonna say it or what?" Sohinki's voice rose up off screen.

Joven appeared to look at him for a moment and then cleared his throat, looking back into the monitor - right back at Mari. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck, "So yeah, I kind of relate to Cloud a lot. Awkward crush on a girl - this girl..." again the picture of Mari came up on the left hand side. "...and try as I might to tell her, I didn't know how to get the words out or maybe I was just scared she'd laugh in my face." He wrung his hands nervously. "I mean, I wouldn't blame her if she did. But nope, I'm too much of a coward to chase after her because I can't even make up some huge delusion to make myself as badass as Cloud becomes. So, Mari - hi, Mari. Don't hate me for this. I've liked you for a long time now, but the only way I can seem to say it is to a camera with a screen between us. And I guess that's why I'm single. Because I'm a pansy."

Lasercorn poked his head into the shot, creepy-eyed and unblinking as he gestured a thumb back toward Joven's crotch area and whispered, "Balls of steel."

The video ended after that and Mari fell into a stunned silence that only amplified the sound of the kettle whistle from the kitchen. She sat still, unsure of what to think - unsure if this was their idea of a stupid joke or well, she had a hard time believing there was a possibility it was real. These guys were always flirting and joking around - why would now be any different?

Robotically, Mari got up and headed toward the kitchen, turning off the screaming kettle. She went through the motions of making her tea and wondered to herself. Had the signs been there and she missed them all along? What could she have done even if she had noticed? And what did Joven expect from her now? Mari frowned to herself, collecting her cup and heading toward the living room again. She decided to go with her original plan of being uselessly lazy for the rest of the day. Maybe come tomorrow she would feel motivated to deal with this mess Joven created.

* * *

A few days went by, and before they knew it, it was time to film another Game Bang. Lasercorn wasn't sure what the state of things were between him and Ian, but up until a couple nights ago, they had been either talking on the phone or texting when they could - mostly about nothing, never really addressing what happened between them, but it was there all the same, an unspoken bond that tied them together. The last time they talked, though, Ian informed him he would be having 'that chat' with Melanie when they got off the phone. Lasercorn hadn't been sure what to say in response - whether to make one final plea for his own sake or to leave it up to Ian to decide which one he should be with. In the end, he wished him luck and that had been it.

Not hearing from Ian since that night made him nervous. Lasercorn tried to rationalize that it wasn't his place to worry over what might happen. Ian had been dating Melanie for a long time, so if he decided to stay with her - then he should wish him the best and be grateful he had that one, wonderful time to spend with him. But he would be lying if he said he hadn't been imagining the possibility of him and Ian being a thing after having the luxury of either ending his night or beginning his day (sometimes both) with talking to him. There was something about them that worked, something about their personalities that meshed, and something Lasercorn didn't really want to lose after having been so close to tasting it.

Joven seemed to share Lasercorn's state of unknowing, so it was nice to, once again, have someone to empathize with. Of course, Joven's state of unknowing was his own damn fault. Ever since his confession, Lasercorn and Sohinki had hounded him with the same question: 'did you talk to Mari yet?' to which they would get an exasperated: 'No.' And that usually snowballed into the next question: 'Did she talk to YOU yet?' only to receive the same answer. Sohinki often told Joven to man up and get closure, but Lasercorn was a little more sympathetic. Granted, when he kissed Ian, he tried to get in touch with him afterward only to get ignored. He didn't pull Joven's whole stunt of just hiding away in shame or embarrassment, but still it took two to tango and Mari could have contacted him to end the silence. She didn't, so she was equally responsible in the ignoring thing.

It was then that Lasercorn decided a little bit of intervening was necessary. After all, where would he have been if it hadn't been for Anthony? Strategically, he set up the chairs - three in the front, three in the back. Then he took the back row, trying to convince Sohinki and Anthony to do the same as both Ian and Mari hadn't arrived yet. Sohinki refused, claiming Ian should be back there with Lasercorn, and Anthony totally agreed, but could understand what Lasercorn was getting at, so vowed to save the seat between them for Ian so Mari would have no choice but to sit in front with Joven and Sohinki. Joven was aware of their plan and sat on one end of the front row, seeming to believe he foiled it until Sohinki settled on the opposite end and left the chair between them open.

Joven looked at him and grumbled, "Damnit, Matt." Even if he closed the gap and settled into the middle chair - it left the one beside him open.

"Man up, Joshua," Sohinki said once again in true Sohinki fashion.

"Where are they even? Why are you here without Ian?" Lasercorn glanced over at Anthony.

Anthony raised his brows, "What is this? Some kind of accusation? We can't ever be apart? I don't know, he said he had to take care of a few things before he headed over and he left it at that. I didn't ask."

"You should've asked a little bit so at least we'd know how long we'd be waiting," Sohinki spun his chair around to face Anthony.

"And what about Mari? Since we all know Joven hasn't heard anything from her..." Lasercorn offered the question for any takers.

Joven propped his elbow on the arm of the chair, supporting his forehead with thumb and index finger, "Ha ha."

Anthony raised his brow, "What? Seriously? Even after that confession and everything? You still haven't heard from her?"

"To be fair, he hasn't even made an attempt to contact her," Sohinki pointed out.

"Alright, alright," Lasercorn waved his hand. "Let's lay off the Joven hate. I mean, I was there last week, and I know it ain't easy to put it all out there for your respective crush. They'll have their time to talk. Today, as a matter of fact. Right, Joven?" He reached out his foot, nudging the back of his friend's chair.

"Can we please drop the topic?"

"What topic?" Came a new voice.

They all looked up to see Mari walking through the door. Joven made a choked sound and fell into silence while Lasercorn continued to nudge his chair - hoping to prompt him into some kind of action. Didn't seem to be working, though. At the very least, Mari took the baited seat without them even having to tell her Ian was sitting in the back. From his vantage point, Lasercorn could see Joven shrink down a little more in his chair and he could only imagine how red his face was. An awkward silence fell over the group, and Mari looked around at each of them.

"Uh, guys? Hello? Did I interrupt something?"

Sohinki was the one to answer, "We were just talking about how Joven should talk to you. Isn't that right, Joven?"

Joven turned toward Sohinki and glared at him before finally meeting Mari's gaze, "I...ah, well - hey, Mari. How's it going?"

She rolled her eyes and then punched him in the arm.

"Ow, hey!" He reared back, nursing it.

"That's for the little stunt you pulled," and then she punched him again in the shoulder. This time harder. "And that's for acting like you can't talk to me now! God. Boys." She shook her head.

"You're not mad...?" Joven regarded her in surprise, though continued to rub the spots she hit.

"No. Why would I be mad? Apart from the fact that you suddenly decided things are different and you couldn't even talk to me," Mari looked around to notice the rest of the guys were listening intently on their conversation. "Why don't we talk after the game? It'd be a little better without an audience."

"Damnit, Mari! I was enjoying watching the real life soap opera," Anthony grunted.

"Yeah," Lasercorn chimed in. "I was about to sneak off to make the popcorn."

"You can still go make popcorn. I just won't be the one to entertain you," Mari offered a cheeky grin. "Actually, you should go make popcorn. I'm starving."

"I'm not your manslave, woman!" Lasercorn retorted, reaching over to the shelf beside him and pulling up the latest Smosh magazine.

"Yeah, a woman's place is in the kitchen. Oh snap, I just went there," Anthony snapped his fingers and reached over to high five Lasercorn.

Mari gave him a side glance, leaning away to stare at him in disbelief, "Really? Then why aren't you in the kitchen right now because you're a lot more girly than me." She mocked Anthony's mocking, giving a high five to Sohinki. "Booya!"

They bantered for a little while longer until the door opened, finally, and Ian arrived. While their playful argument hadn't died completely, Lasercorn's attention was no longer on it. He looked up to meet Ian's gaze and felt some kind of mix between happiness and nervousness. It had been the first time he'd seen Ian since they were together, even though they had spoken - so having him there in the flesh was enough to get his pulse racing. Even so, Lasercorn still didn't know where they stood and he hoped today would bring clarity to that. Ian wasn't sitting down, which was unusual. Did he not want to sit between him and Anthony? Or was he waiting for something? He just kind of stood in front of everyone - holding his silence for a minute or so before clearing his throat.

"Hey, guys. Can I have your attention?"

Mari and Anthony called a truce and looked at Ian. Sohinki and Joven also looked up, and Lasercorn - well, his attention hadn't strayed anywhere else since Ian entered the room.

His eyes met Lasercorn's and he beckoned him down, "Lasercorn, c'mere. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mere." He kept gesturing for Lasercorn to join him.

Unsure of what was going on, Lasercorn pulled the magazine over his face to hide behind it. When did the tables turn and Joven's embarrassment get dumped onto his shoulders?

"You've read that like fifteen times. Get your ass down here."

"But I like looking at the pictures. Tom Hiddleston is looking quite dapper," Lasercorn's protest was muffled into the pages.

"Dapper? More like the most sexy beast to grace the pages," Mari agreed with a nod. "That is one fine, ovary popping mofo. How come you didn't have a full nude spread of him in the middle of the magazine again?"

"He was only into giving private shows," Ian answered without thought. It was amazing how his sense of humor could do rapid fire responses even when his focus was primarily on Lasercorn. "Don't make me make Sohinki drag you off that chair."

Lasercorn heaved an overdramatic sigh, "Fiiiine." He lowered the magazine and trudged to the front of their group of friends.

He couldn't look them in the eye. He didn't know what Ian had planned here or what he was doing, but standing in front of everyone with a man he had slept with a few days ago was enough to draw up his inner shy kid. He didn't even want to look at Ian, afraid he might get lost in his eyes or something even more mortifying - especially if this whole display had nothing to do with things between them.

Lasercorn found his field of vision filled with the sight of Ian's hand offering him something. It took him a second to realize it was a fortune cookie. His eyebrows rose and he accepted it, finally meeting Ian's gaze in question; that stunning blue-eyed gaze. Damnit, no! He wouldn't lose himself here.

"Why don't you open it and read the message for everyone?" Ian urged.

He gave Ian his best skeptical, 'what are you doing' face before he peeled open the plastic and pulled out the cookie. Breaking it in two, he pulled out the slip - his heart pounding and head spinning. He had to read the message a few times to digest the words, and even then he could barely believe what he was seeing.

Lasercorn murmured the message, barely audible, "Iancorn is real."

"Wait, what was that? I don't think they heard you," Ian obnoxiously leaned in with his hand cupped to his ear.

So to be obnoxious back, Lasercorn shouted it, "Iancorn is real! - is what it says."

"You forgot the best part," Ian smirked. He turned to the rest of their friends and waggled his eyebrows. "_In bed._"

Anthony whooped and cheered, giving them a standing ovation and a round of applause while Joven and Sohinki just smiled their silent, though awkward, congrats. Mari, however, was completely floored by this.

"Wait, what! Are you guys for real?"

"Yeah we're forrealsies," Ian tucked his arm around Lasercorn's shoulders - causing Lasercorn to want to melt into some embarrassed abyss.

"Goddamnit! Why am I always the last to know everything?" She centered her question on Joven primarily.

He held his hands up in protest, "Hey! Why am I getting the brunt of that? Ask them why they didn't tell you! I had nothing to do with it!"

"I don't know, Mari. I was kind of the last to know about this. You'd think someone would tell me he was planning on humiliating me in front of everyone before he went ahead and did it," Lasercorn felt his cheeks heating and wanted to die. He would not blush here. Manly men didn't blush!

"Well someone had a lot to think about and wanted to show he's ready to change. I can't undo the past," Ian's eyes left Lasercorn and drifted toward Anthony. "But I can learn from my mistakes and make up for it now. I got some of the most awesomely supportive friends a guy could ask for, so there's no reason to hide from them." He looked back at Lasercorn again. "You taught me that."

"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss," Mari began to chant and was joined by Anthony (and then reluctantly Sohinki and Joven).

"I hate you all!" Lasercorn shouted in embarrassed amusement, looking toward Ian to see if he was going to give in to their demands.

"Lean back in my arms and let me dip you properly, sweetie," Ian batted his lashes.

"I hate you most," Lasercorn muttered uselessly as he fell back in Ian's arms for the most awkward, clumsy, and ridiculous looking kiss to ever be - wait, was that a flash? He separated from Ian in time to see Mari with her camera out. "You did not just-"

She beamed, "What can I say? I'm the number one Iancorn shipper. This is going in my personal collection. And by personal collection, I mean adding it to my blackmail material."

"As touching and romantic and vomit-inducing as this whole thing is, can we play now? I mean, that's kind of the whole point of us being here, yeah?" Sohinki had enough of the romance shenanigans apparently. Lasercorn wondered if it was just jealousy - after all, Sohinki stood to be the only one in the room who didn't have someone now.

"Yeah, we can play," Ian stole one half of the broken cookie from Lasercorn's grasp, popping it in his mouth.

"Bastard. You give me a gift and then take half of it. What kind of relationship is this!" Lasercorn demanded as he followed him. The words were such an automatic joking response that it took his brain a second to realize this was an actual relationship. He was in a relationship with Ian. And that realization alone left him feeling on top of the world.

* * *

Joven and Mari hung back for a little while after everyone else had left. Throughout the night, Joven opened up more and more until he felt comfortable enough to go back to being himself around Mari. They had even been a team in their game, coming together to...not lose. And that was an incredible feat considering how close they came to defeat. But now that everyone had left, Joven was faced with being alone with Mari, and that somehow made things become awkward again. He sat there, rubbing his hands on his knees in some attempt to soothe his haywire nerves.

"So, uh, can I get you something? Anything?" Joven stalled.

Mari looked at him blandly, "C'mon, Joven. Let's just cut to what we really need to talk about. None of this beating around the bush."

_ Crap. _He looked down at his hands. "Well, I kind of pretty much said everything in front of everyone - so the only thing left is for you to say your part."

Mari studied him for a moment. The silence becoming a soap bubble that loomed in the air between them. Joven even chanced looking up at her and frowned. He knew what was happening in her mind. She was trying to think of the best and most polite way to reject him - to shove him off into the friendzone.

Finally, Mari popped their silent bubble, "Joven, I like you. I really do. If you would've told me about this sooner, we might even be dating. But right now, I'm seeing someone else. And it kills me to have to break the news to you because you have the saddest puppy dog face right now. Are you totally going to hate me?"

"Seeing someone," he blinked, trying to process the words. "Wow. I...wow. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm the one who made a mess of everything. Me and my stupid mouth making stupid bets and being...stupid."

She shook her head in protest, smiling at him, "No. It was actually really sweet. And if it's any consolation, I'm sure the fans are totally gonna hate on me for not immediately breaking up with my boyfriend and dating you."

"Are you happy? With your boyfriend, that is?"

Mari seemed surprised by the question, "Y-yeah. He's a great guy. I think you two would get along really well."

Joven smiled - it was a sad, regretful smile. "Then that's all that matters."

"Josh, I..."

He shook his head, holding his hand up to silence her. "It was my fault. I should've told you sooner. I should've been less of a pussy...and well, manned up like Sohinki says. I should've bought you flowers...or held your hand..."

Realizing what he was doing, Mari shook her head in protest, "Don't you dare..."

But it was too late. Joven was already in song (if you could call it that) with his incredibly off key croon, "_Should've gave you all my hours when I had the chance. Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance. Now my baby's dancing, but she's dancing with another man~_"

"You are the worst human being on the planet!" She brought her hands up to cover her ears and her arms up to cover her cheeks, which were tinted a light pink in spite of how horrible it was.

Joven smiled, sliding his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So...I guess that's it, then?"

Mari's hands lowered, and she regarded Joven for a long moment - seeming to have so much more to say but not voicing those words. Her smile faded, and though she tried to keep her poker face, there was a sadness behind her eyes, "Yeah. I guess it is."

"Don't look like that. Smile. Convince me your happy so I can leave here happy, alright?" Joven stepped forward and drew her in for a hug.

Mari allowed him to pull her close before slowly reaching her arms up to return the embrace. They lingered there until she found the strength to smile again, and once she was convinced it wasn't forced, she inched back to present it to him, "I'm okay. And you'll be okay too. We'll all be okay. And hey...I guess if Iancorn's a thing, that means Melanie's on the market, right? Maybe I can work my voodoo magic on you two."

Joven laughed with a shrug, "I won't say no, but I'm not really going to be thinking about relationships for a while. The embarrassment is a little too fresh to jump right into something new."

"Understandable. But you shouldn't be embarrassed. It really was sweet," Mari's smile was rich with melancholy.

Joven returned it with the same, bittersweet tinge, "Well I guess I had that going for me. Anyway, I'm gonna head out."

Mari almost wanted to stop him, but she knew it would be pointless so instead she nodded, "Alright. But make sure you keep talking to me. Don't close me out because that's seriously the last thing I want."

"I won't, I promise," he turned the doorknob and offered her a salute. "Until next time."

Mari returned the salute and with forced enthusiasm said, "Matta raishuu ne!"

And he was gone. Mari stared after his empty spot for a while, feeling a rotten mix of guilt and sadness. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt someone she considered a really great friend. She barely heard the door to the break room open behind her and didn't realize she wasn't alone until a voice jarred her out of her thoughts.

"Is he gone?"

"Yeah. He's gone..." she answered. A pair of arms wound around her shoulders from behind and she leaned back into his embrace.

"I kind of feel like a douchebag doing this to him..."

Mari looked down at the arms before she slowly turned around to face him, "I think maybe waiting for a while before we reveal this to the group would be the best, Matt. For everyone's sake."

Sohinki nodded and leaned down to kiss her. Mari tipped her chin and returned it with some desperation to feel less sad about this whole turn of events. They lingered there, melting into one another until the sound of the door opening caused them to fly apart.

"Whoa!" Lasercorn stood there, staring at the pair, bewildered. They wore matching deer in the headlights expressions when they looked back at him, frozen in place. For a moment, all three had some silent staring showdown. Lasercorn was the one to kill the silence. "I just forgot my coat and when I saw Joven was gone, I thought it was safe." He quickly grabbed the jacket and ducked for the door without looking at either of them. "Carry on."

He walked out as quickly as he entered and took a moment to collect himself when he reached the stairs. Had he really just seen what he thought he'd seen? Had Sohinki moved in on Mari the moment Joven left? How long had it been going on? And he didn't even have the balls to tell either of them, instead pushing Joven toward his ultimate embarrassment and defeat? Lasercorn didn't know what to say, or even if it was his place to say anything - but there was a part of him that was really pissed off on Joven's behalf because he kind of doubted Joven knew.

He tried to wipe the expression off his face by the time he reached Ian's car again, but he must not have done a very good job because Ian caught one look at him and canted his head, "What's wrong?"

Lasercorn frowned and then tossed his jacket into the back seat, before plopping down into the passenger's side of the vehicle, "It's...I don't even know. I don't want to think about it or else I'll hulk smash something. Can we focus on happier things? Like us. I wanna focus on us."

"Us is a thing I can do," Ian lingered over his words, as though he wasn't sure he should drop the topic. "In more ways than one."

Lasercorn was relieved when Ian transitioned into a joke. At least it meant he wasn't going to press because that would probably be a whole string of curses and swears all aimed at Sohinki. "So where are we going to eat?"

"We're getting Chinese. Obviously. And taking it back to my place, obviously. And then eating it naked in bed..."

"Obviously," he interjected before Ian could say it. "The whole fortune cookie thing was pretty clever, by the way."

"I thought it fit. A fortune cookie started it and a fortune cookie ended it. Well, not ended so much as began the next chapter or whatever."

"Are you sure you wanna take this risk, Ian? It might not be easy."

"It won't be easy. I know that. But the way I see it is: even if we have to face some of the worst punishments and trials known to mankind or...gamerkind...Iancorn has always managed to pull through. Why should it be any different if we apply it to relationship territory?"

"True," Lasercorn smiled to himself. "We are pretty amazing like that."

"Exactly, so no more questioning me. You're worth every risk I take. And you know how I know?"

"How?"

Ian spared him a quick glance before looking back at the road, "A fortune cookie told me so."

Lasercorn felt his heart leap and couldn't contain the grin that broke onto his face. He might not have known what would happen with his friends. He might not have known whether he should step in and intervene in Joven's mess. He might not have even known what the future would bring with him and Ian. But at the moment, he did know there was no place he would rather be than right here where he was. Lasercorn didn't even need a fortune cookie to tell him that much.


End file.
